Chaldea in Remnant
by Starlight's Poet
Summary: Da Vinci's latest experiment results in Chaldea mysteriously landing in a brand new world. One where myths and legends are forgotten. For better or worse, Ritsuka Fujimaru is about to revive those fairy tales while simultaneously getting involved in a secret war between an immortal and a witch. Just another day at the office.
1. Chapter 1

_Yo, everybody! It's time for a brand new story, one that all of you lovely people voted for in the poll! Sometime around when I was getting ready to get back into the swing of things, I set up a poll, asking what story you guys would want to see when I got back. And here it is, brought to you by myself and Daemon of Wrath!_

 _Before we begin, a few things. First, this story will be AU to Fate/Grand Order: Cosmos in the Lostbelt, as certain events have changed significantly for our crew in Chaldea. All positive changes, we assure you. Secondly, this will be set after Volume 3, but a little bit before Volume 4._

 _Myself and Daemon discussed as to what point in time we should start the story at. The first idea was Pre-Volume 1, set sometime during the past segments of the Adam Taurus Character Short. The second is the story route we chose, namely because so far, there have been very few stories that start when RWBY is well underway. Most tend to start during the beginning._

 _With that said, however, please enjoy our newest story! Ooh, but before that... Oi, Ritsu! Do the disclaimer!_

 _Ritsuka: What? Okay...? *clears throat* This story is a work of (fan)fiction. Any and all characters and places with relations to actual people are purely coincidental. The authors do not own Fate/Grand Order or RWBY. Both belong to Nasu-sensei and RoosterTeeth respectively._

 _ENJOY~!_

* * *

 ** _Time is a fickle thing._**

 ** _It is a river, ebbing and flowing along a path._**

 ** _Often at times, time will branch into different paths - possibilities and futures that could have been._**

 ** _This, is one such story._**

 ** _A world besieged by darkness, with four simple and honest souls left to stand against the tide._**

 ** _Yet it shall be by the tangling of Fate that warriors shall gather together._**

 ** _What story shall you weave this time, Ritsuka and Gudako Fujimaru?_**

 ** _I shall watch this story unfold...until the very end._**

* * *

 **A Fate/Grand Order x RWBY Crossover:**

 _ **"Chaldea in Remnant"**_

* * *

 **Fate/01: Over the Horizon, To a distant Shore**

Ritsuka Fujimaru did not have what one might consider to be an ordinary life, much less a simple one. By all rights, he should never have found himself involved too deeply in the world of magecraft. As a member of a lesser family of little to no importance, he shouldn't have expected to get involved in something as grand as preserving human history. And yet, it did occur, all because he went to get his blood drawn.

He wouldn't say it was all bad, however. Along the way, he had made many friends and went through many great hurdles. Yet in many instances, he always found himself in the most bizarre and terrifying situations, ranging from fighting literal gods and demons to trying to face off against powerful Heroic Spirits.

In all honest, the only reason Ritsuka hadn't broken under the pressure was because of-

"RITSU-NII! HELP MEEEEE!"

Ritsuka sighed, drooping his head low. So much for peace and quiet today. Actually, who was he kidding?

When was it EVER peaceful in Chaldea?

Moving over to the source of the disturbance, Ritsuka entered a fairly large room filled with bizarre machinery, all of which the result of the collaboration of minds by Sherlock Holmes and Leonardo Da Vinci. At the far back of the room, he found the latter Servant, a fairly buxom woman with beautiful clear skin and shoulder-length autumn brown hair and crystalline eyes, in the middle of what could only be considered sexual harassment. The unfortunate victim was a girl with fiery red hair and brown eyes, flailing as she attempted to escape from Da Vinci's grasp while being stripped of her clothes.

"...Da Vinci-san?" Ritsuka sighed, face-palming. "What are you doing to Gudako?"

"Ah, Ritsuka-chan! Perfect timing!" Da Vinci smiled widely. "Would you be a dear and strip for me?"

"DON'T LISTEN TO HER!" Gudako Fujimaru cried. "HELP ME! SHE WANTS TO TAKE MY CHASTITY!"

Da Vinci wrinkled her nose. "I would appreciate it if you didn't associate me with Fergus, thank you." she said before she went back to trying to disrobe the poor girl. "And I'm not interested in your purity, dear girl. I leave to the other Servants."

"Again, I ask. What are you doing to my sister?"

"SHE WANTS TO PROBE ME!"

"I'm afraid that would only provide poor results. And to answer your question, myself and Holmes an incredible discovery! Nay, I believe we've made a break through! And tests demand a test subject!" The excitement increased as Da Vinci became more aggressive. With a deft hand, she removed Gudako's top, leaving her with only a bra and a half-removed skirt. "Now, strip! Those clothes will get in the way!"

Ritsuka sighed again. He had been doing this a lot lately. Idly, he wondered why in the world he hasn't already gone insane by this point. "Da Vinci-san, please stop harassing Gudako. I will use a Command Spell if I have to."

The threat seemed to work, as Da Vinci paused. Long enough for Gudako to escape her grasp and snatch up her clothes, retreating next to her brother and hissing like a cornered animal. With her prey again, the Servant pouted. "Oh, you're such a killjoy, Ritsuka-chan. Have you been hanging around EMIYA again?"

"Which one?" Ritsuka asked. "We have two. Three, technically, if you count Kiritsugu-san."

"Does it really matter?"

Ritsuka opened his mouth, then closed it and tilted his head. Now that she mentioned it... It really didn't. Despite both Servants insistence, both were very much alike. And the likeness only got worse as EMIYA Alter slowly became more and more open with everyone. Not that it was an easy task, mind you, as getting that man to even the slightest bit social was like trying to get a raccoon to not steal anything.

"So, what is this break through?" Ritsuka asked. "And more importantly, why did you need test subjects? More importantly, can we expect life threatening injuries because of these experiments?"

"You won't." Da Vinci assured him. "At least, I don't think so."

Gudako growled. "First you kidnap me, feel me up and now you admit that this experiment could be dangerous?!"

"First off, I didn't kidnap you. I simply asked you to come to the lab." the Caster-class Servant said with a small pout, folding her arms beneath her breast. "Second, how else are you supposed to grow your breasts?"

"THEY DON'T NEED TO GET BIGGER! THEY'RE FINE AS IS!"

"I can name a few here in Chaldea who would disagree." Da Vinci smirked evilly. "Say, a certain edgy count and black holy maiden?" Gudako blushed and spluttered in utter embarrassment. Ritsuka shook his head, knowing full well she said that only to elicit this reaction. Clearing her throat, Da Vinci's tone changed. "Anyway, you're aware of the processes we used to traverse the Singularities and Lostbelts, yes?"

"Yes, I'm aware. Why do you ask?"

"Would you believe me if I told you Holmes and I may have discovered a way to create an artificial Kaleidoscope?"

* * *

Kadoc Kemlupus would never admit, but there was a certain hint of bizarre adoration for the way Osakabe-hime squirmed. "W-why did you have to barge into my room...?" she weakly protested as Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova drank from her cup of tea. "And more importantly wh-why are you two sitting in my kotatsu?!"

"In my defense," Kadoc raised his hands. "Anastasia more or less demanded I bring her here. She's been obsessed with this thing."

"B-but you could easily buy one! Heck, you could've even had someone make one for you." Osakabe-hime whimpered, a bit downcast. She had more or less planned to spend the whole day in her room and play Rot Cells, but that plan was quickly out the window. "So why...?"

Anastasia smiled. "Because your kotatsu is far better than any cheap imitation."

"Just how is mine better?! There's nothing special about it!" Osakabe-hime argued.

Kadoc smiled thinly. Thought it had been several weeks since the Lostbelt incidents, he could still hardly believe everything that had happened was so quickly forgotten, or swept under the rug. No, actually, it would be more accurate to say that the events were still freshly lingering. They were simply doing their best to move forward.

Of course, there was still an awkward air hanging around him. Up until recently, he had been an enemy to these people. Yet now, he was treated as a friend and ally. It was very strange, much less a bit uncomfortable. Especially around Anastasia. He had to constantly remind himself that this was not the Caster he had grown accustomed to in his Lostbelt or cherished. Rather, this was the one that history remembered. Not the one born from a dead end.

As such, getting used to her was a bit challenging, especially when he first came to Chaldea. It took a long time before he had finally settled in and found himself used to Anastasia's presence. Oddly, however, despite being a separate version, she still had some form of remembrance to the other Anastasia. Because of that, she understood her other self's thoughts and feelings on Kadoc and often relayed them to him. It was touching, if perhaps a little awkward.

At the very least, however, he was happy that she thought of him as a dear friend.

"I disagree. Your kotatsu is very nicer compared to the other ones I've been offered. That, and it is the only one that isn't big enough for Ivan."

Osakabe-hime tilted her head. "I-Ivan? Is he still trying to, you know, dote on you?"

"Every now and then." Kadoc answered. "As much as Anastasia enjoys him, she doesn't like being coddled that much."

"Indeed, not." Anastasia said, taking another drink of her tea. "On another note, there was another reason why I came here."

"Eh?"

"Gudako-sama's birthday is coming up. I was hoping you could give me an idea as to what she might like."

Osakabe-him didn't answer at first. In fact, it looked like she had gone completely stiff. After a minute, she became hysterical. "Gudacchi's birthday is almost here?!" she cried in panic. "I knew I was forgetting something! Oh no! This is bad! Bad bad bad! What-what am I supposed to do?! Oooh, you're so stupid, Osakabe! You marked your calender for this occasion, and here you are, focusing on video games!"

Kadoc sweatdropped. "...it's just a birthday." he told the Assassin-class Servant. "I'm sure anything would-"

"BUT IT'S NOT JUST ANYONE'S BIRTHDAY! IT'S GUDACCHI'S!" Osakabe-hime suddenly towered over him, her face overshadowed by her hoodie and eyes glowing red. Kadoc promptly shrunk where he sat, retreating slowly away. "She's my number one! My key item! Without her, I wouldn't have this room all to myself or all these video games! She's why I can enjoy my time in solitude and play online all day! I owe her my everything!" She promptly returned to normal size and weeped, cradling her head. "Oh, what am I going to do?! Gudacchi's birthday is in a few days! That's not enough time!"

Anastasia hummed. "It seems we are both in a dire strait." she remarked calmly. "In that case, might I suggest a collaboration? Two heads are better than one."

"YES! That's perfect, Ana!" Osakabe-hime nodded strongly. "But what should we do? Even if we order it, it won't get here in time? Uhm, a home-made gift? Oh, but what would she like?"

"Hasn't Gudako-san been obsessed with jeweled rings lately?" Kadoc recalled. "Why not make her one of those?"

"That's an excellent idea, Kadoc." Anastasia said. "But what type of Metal should we make it out of? And what jewel should be set?"

Osakabe-hime pursed her lips, folding her arms. "If I remember right, gold-band rings with rubies seem to be really popular."

"Truly? Truth be told, those sound rather gaudy." Anastasia said with disinterest. "A silver ring with a diamond would suit Gudako-sama."

"I disagree! A copper ring with a topaz gem would suit her!" the hikkemori shot back, crossing her arms with a harumph. "Kadoc-kun, what do you think?"

Kadoc blinked. "M-me?" Why were they asking him? He didn't know much about jewelry, it wasn't even remotely related to his specialty Mage craft! Maybe asking someone like Isthar would be a better idea.

 _'Actually, on second thought, that would be a bad idea.'_ Kadoc immediately thought with a shudder. When it came to Gudako, Ishtar had a problem of going overboard. He could still remember the Christmas party that she was in charge of throwing. Though it was quite extravagant, they still had yet to finish off all the leftover food.

And that was a month ago, as he had learned.

"...I think Anastasia's idea would be a good idea." he offered. Osakabe-hime pouted while Anatastia had this smug look on her face. Her shadow wiggled, making it clear that Viy also felt pleased by his decision.

"No fair! Kadoc always agrees with you!"

"Not always." the white-haired girl replied. "He does disobey often. Though it's mostly whenever Ritsuka-sama is involved." She then tilted her head and cupped her chin. "Actually, have you seen either of them? I had hoped to ask Ritsuka-sama for advice about Gudako-sama's birthday gift first, but I couldn't find him."

Osakabe-hime shook her head. "I haven't. Ritsucchi has been enjoying the relative peace and quiet."

"What peace and quiet?" Kadoc scoffed. "I've only been here for a few weeks, and Chaldea is anything _but_."

* * *

"Ack! That's cheating Kuro!" Illyasviel von Einzbern, the Caster-class Servant, cried in dismay as she watched her character become unceremoniously thrown off the edge of the platform, courtesy of a kick by Chloe "Kuro" Einzbern's character.

The dark-skinned girl smirked. "All's fair in love and war, Illya."

"Iskander! Waver!" Illya whined pitifully. "She's cheating!"

"Well to be fair, Kuro is playing Ganandorf. And his attacks hit like a truck." Waver replied.

Beside him, Iskander nodded strongly. "Indeed... You would be hard pressed to defend properly. It also didn't help the fact that you chose to play as Shelk."

"But-but Shelk is so cool! How could I not?!"

Every Thursday, Zhuge Liang - or rather Waver Velvet as he preferred to be called following his final Ascension and Iskander hosted a video game hang out with a few Servants in Chaldea, and sometimes even the staff. Today, Illya and her "sister" had rushed over to play with them after they had been invited. Had you met Zhuge Liang earlier, you would have been dumbfounded to see how he acted now. At first, his personality as a mix of his original self and Lord El-Melloi II, but through each Ascension, Waver's old childish persona had started to bleed through and overtake his personality. Something that the Rider-class Servant that fought with him in the Fuyuki Fourth Holy Grail War appreciated immensely.

"Cool," Kuro smirked. "Does not equal kickass."

Illya growled at her "sister". "Don't get cocky, Kuro! I can still beat you!"

"Hah! In your dreams!"

Iskander's booming laugh shook the room. "Ah, truly the rivalry between siblings is a beautiful sight!" he said with a broad grin. "We should have invited the whole Emiya family here!"

"I don't think that would've been a good idea." Waver sweatdropped. "Did you forget what happened the last time we left EMIYA and Alter in the same room together for more than five minutes?"

"Oh, right..." Rider then remembered that particular incident. It took weeks to repair the place.

"In hindsight, we should have let Irisviel behind to ensure they didn't claw at each other's throats." The King of Conquerors sighed as he shook his head, palming his temple. "You'd think after dealing with Singularities and Lostbelts, they'd learn to respect one another."

Waver gave his old friend and partner a deadpan look. "I think the odds of that happening are about as lucky as getting Saber Alter to stop binge eating like a maniac." he said. Her Lancer Alter and Rider counterparts were nowhere as nearly as bad as her in the gluttonous department, thankfully, but to this day, he couldn't quite understand she felt the need to eat so much. She could eat for ten people all by herself for Pete's sake. "How is it that, out of all the Alters, EMIYA's the only one who has the most trouble with his?"

"What're we talking about?" Kuro asked, taking an interest about the conversation when their older brother was mentioned. "Something about Onii-chan?"

"We were talking about how EMIYA and his Alter try to kill each other if left unsupervised." Iskander told them. Immediately, the two girls let out an 'ah' of understanding. "A troublesome duo, those two."

Illya nodded. "Yeah... I wish those two would get along. They argue over some of the most stupidest things, too!"

"Oh, like what?"

"Well, there was this one time where they argued who's Kanshou and Byakuya was better. Another time-" A small beep began sounding off next to her. Looking down, she found her cell phone ringing. "Aah! It's dinner time! Today's Mama's turn to cook!" Immediately, she scrambled up to her feet and paused the game. "Sorry, Iskander! Waver! But I'm not gonna miss Mama's cooking!"

"It's fine. Come again!"

* * *

Kiritsugu Emiya, or rather the Assassin-class Servant EMIYA, wasn't sure what was worse: the dreadful silence that was hanging in the air or the tension that came with it as he stared at his son - sorry, sons from the other side of the table, both of whom looked like they wanted to be any place other than here. It had been quite some time since he was summoned to Chaldea. And it amazes him to realize that the memorial essences he received changed him from the Counter Guardian of Alaya, to the husband and father of the Emiya family.

It took a bit of adjustment, what given his overall existence. At first, the concept of being a loving father and husband was utterly foreign to him, especially when he met his son.

That had been a most awkward conversation, especially given how both of them ended up being Alaya's attack dogs.

By the time the Lostbelt incident had occurred, however, he had more or less filled in the shoes that Illya and Iri and his son remembered him by. However, things had truly become quite strange when EMIYA Alter had made his appearance to the group after having been summoned.

Not even an hour later did he witness EMIYA Alter insulting his son, which nearly resulted into an all-out fight in the main lobby that was only stopped by the combined efforts of himself, Kuro, Illya and Iri. And unfortunately, the troubles didn't stop there. Gudako had taken it upon herself to try and get this stubborn reflection of Shirou Emiya to open up to them. This, naturally, earned quite a bit of tension, especially when the man raised his gun at her.

And then EMIYA Alter learned why that was a _bad idea_ when he found the whole family protecting Gudako: himself pointing a gun at him, EMIYA's blades poised over his exposed neck, Illya and Iri holding Gudako protectively and Kuro standing between her and EMIYA Alter.

The only reason the man was even still alive was because Gudako was the kind-hearted soul she was. In all honesty, Kiritsugu found himself often wanting to blow this man's brains out, while Iri and Illya made their best attempts to try and get to know the man.

Sadly, he was quite stubborn.

It had taken months of work just to get him to attend the family dinners. The only reason he was even invited to be with them in the first place was because he was Shirou Emiya, or at the very least a twisted reflection of him. However, Kuro and EMIYA both have expressed their disdain for him, the latter even more so.

"...stop glaring at each other." Kiritsugu said in a strained voice. "And if either one of you busts out with a weapon, I will have Iri bust out with the skillet." EMIYA huffed and turned away. His Alter counterpart merely gave a wave of dismissal and leaned back, closing his eyes as if enjoying the silence. Kiritsugu sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Good grief..."

Sometimes it was difficult being a parent. Especially with a family like his. Yet he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Are they still fighting...?" Irisviel, the Caster-class Servant who wore the Dress of Heaven, called out from the kitchen. "You'd think after several months together, they would learn to get along!"

"As if..." EMIYA muttered.

Alter snorted. "The feeling's mutual, _brother_."

"Do not call me that. Ever."

"Enough." Kiritsugu scowled. "I swear, one would think you two were children rather than grown men."

"Yeah. We act more mature than you two. And it's us we're talking here." Kuro said as she and Illya entered.

"We're back!" Illya cried happily, waving at her family. "Did we miss anything?"

Kiritsugu smiled. "Not much. Just the usual problems between these two."

The two Archers said nothing as they continued to glare at one another in contempt. It was like a staring contest. One that was promptly ended when Irisviel entered the room, holding a tray of various foods. "Dinner's ready~!"

And thus, another eventful night for the Emiya family came to pass. However, somewhere in Chaldea, a certain woman with a tiger-striped shinai couldn't help but feel as if she were missing out on a fine feast before once again throwing herself against her opponent with a roar.

* * *

If there was anything several Servants could agree on, which was saying a lot given how varied they were, it was that addressing their Alter counterparts and themselves could be confusing at times.

Even worse when another version of an already summoned Servant made their appearance, with little difference except for Class. Some Alter Servants had settled on alternative names. Artoria's Alter form as Saber had settled simply for "Altria." Artoria's Lancer self usually wished to be addressed by her class name. The Lancer Alter variant also wished to be referred to simply as "Alter," arguing that she was the closest one could get to an alternative form, especially given her nature as the million-to-one version of Arthur Pendragon that could possibly have existed.

However, while the vast majority of Artoria's alternate forms, they had managed to form some individuality among themselves, the same could not be said about the counterparts of Cu Chulainn. The man had two different Lancer forms, one older and one younger and had a Caster counterpart. And the last was a Alter counterpart of the Berserker class. With the older and younger versions of the Lancer, they had managed to settle for the older being addressed as Cu Chulainn and the younger by his original name, Setanta. Caster Cu Chulainn wished to be referred to as Caster, if only for the same reason as Altria's and for the sake of simplicity.

Sadly, the Berserker-class Servant was the only one of the Cu Chulainns who had not been given a name to be addressed. And the problem was that he honestly didn't care for it. He was fine by being addressed by whatever name they gave him: Alter, Cu Alter, Berserker, any name would do.

Scathach and her counterpart from the Lostbelt, Skadi-Scathach (or simply Skadi), disagreed with that sentiment.

"For the last time..." Cu Alter growled at the two women. "I don't need a name. Just because I'm a replacement for a guard dog doesn't make me an actual animal!"

Setanta snickered. "I beg to disagree. Out of the four of us, you're the most wild."

"He's got a point." Caster Cu nodded. "Then again, you do live up to your class, my friend."

Scathach silenced the two with a cold glare. The two shut up immediately, wisely deciding to not get involved further, lest they draw the wrath of the Witch of the Shadow Lands. She then returned her attention to Cu Alter and folded her arms. "You need a proper name, instead of being addressed by simple designations." she insisted. "The other three have already decided on names for them to be addressed by."

He scoffed. "And as I've said, you can call me anything you wish."

"You sure about that?" Cu Chulainn asked with a brow raised. "No judging here, but I think anyone would have a problem with being called 'mongrel' for the rest of their life."

"...a fair argument. But my point still stands. I refuse to be named as if I'm some kind of dog."

"You're not being named as if you're a dog." Setanta stated. "You're getting a name because you're your own person. You deserve one, especially after what you did for the Masters all this time."

"They're just fine calling me anything. It doesn't matter." The Berserker shrugged.

Caster Cu groaned. "It's like talking to a damned brick wall. I think even Alter-chan was easy to figure out a name."

Skadi shook her head. "What a troublesome child. I question how in the world our Masters managed to put up with you."

"They order me to fight and kill, I fight and kill. Simple as that." Came the blunt reply. "Anything else isn't worth my time or effort to bother with." Everyone gave him blank stares, which made him frown. "The hell's that look for?"

"You know..." Setanta started. "For a guy who says he doesn't want to be named like a dog, you sure do act like a dog if all you do is take orders." Cu Alter growled, making Setanta smirk. "See? You even growl like a dog!"

"You want to end up on my spear?"

Scathach promptly smacked his head with the flat end of her Gae Bolg Alternative. "Enough, Cu Chulainn. We are deciding a name for you, even it takes all night. And before you say anything, we are not referring to you by your Class. Frankenstein has already requested she be referred to as Berserker."

"I've caught Ritsuka calling her 'Fran' on several occasions." Cu Alter deadpanned.

Skadi waved a hand. "Because he's earned the right to refer to her by that name. Now, start thinking of a name, or we decide it for you." She then went quiet for a moment, and then smirked evilly. "Or, we can drag Medb here and have her decide a name for you. How does that sound?"

At the mention of Chaldea's resident sex maniac, barring Fergus, all Cu Chulainns shuddered. "...you wouldn't."

"Yes, we would. She would be a great motivator for you four to finally pick a name for your Berserker form." Scathach agreed with her counterpart.

"I'll kill her if she steps foot within twenty feet away from me." Cu Alter replied.

"You know Gudako wouldn't like that. She'll just tell you to stop."

Cu Alter growled again, but even he had no choice but to admit defeat. He knew full well that Gudako wouldn't appreciate him killing a "comrade." Even if said "comrade" was constantly trying to get her into her room as she could have sex with her and drag him along for the ride. He glanced at his other counterparts, but even they cowed before their teachers' ultimatum.

They weren't stupid, after all. And neither was he.

"Fine, dammit!" Cu Alter huffed. "I'll think of a name for you idiots to address me by! Happy now?!"

"Wonderful! But we expect an answer by tonight, or will drag Medb in here. BOTH of her."

 _'...sorry, Master. But at the rate things are going, you might find yourself with two less Servants.'_

* * *

Speaking of the relationship between a Servant and their Alter counterpart, some answers had come more easily than others. The best and earliest example had been Jeanne d'Arc and her Avenger counterpart, born as a result of Gilles de Rais' actions in the Singularity. At first, everyone wasn't entirely sure how to address them, but the two had eventually settled on the Ruler being called by her name, and the Avenger called "Joan."

That was after she violently denied any and all suggestions being called Jalter.

Much like Waver and Iskander's Video Game night, the two had their own activities, which was namely looking after the younger Servants. That was to say Servants like Abigail Williams, Jack the Ripper, Nursery Rhyme, etc. At first, it was simply Jeanne and another Servant, but as they progressed through the Singularities and other events, there had to be changes, thus Joan was asked to look after them alongside Jeanne. Their relationship wasn't ideal, but some liked to think it was akin to that of a responsible sibling and a rebellious sibling. In a way, it was a correct assumption.

Especially if one heard their conversations.

"Big Sis Joan! Come play with us!"

Joan flinched as the "Kid Trio" - as they were dubbed by many of the Chaldea staff - neared her with their bright and cheery smiles. One would think that, after spending several months, she would be used to this sort of occurrence, but the truth was that she could never get used to it. Whether it was because of her bizarre nature or something else was up for debate. She looked to the side, expecting Jeanne to try to help her.

The bitch was smiling and not lifting a finger. _'Traitor!_ ' she cried in her mind. "Er.. M-maybe later..."

"Aw..." Abigail pouted. "Does Sissy not want to play with us?"

"N-no! It's not that! It's just that, well, er..."

 _'Shit shit shit! How would Ritsuka or Gudako handle this?! No, wait. They'd just give in and play with them. Double fuck!'_

She truly was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Her counterpart was of no use, and her Masters weren't around to save her.

Why couldn't things ever be simple?

"Looks like you're all having fun." a cool voice said. Joan looked behind her, finding a sharply dressed man in a pristine white suit with wavy white hair and gold eyes, dancing with mirth. "Well, at least one of you is."

"Fuck you, Count!"

Edmond Dantes, Count of Monte Cristo and Avenger-class Servant, smiled wryly at her foul language as he clicked his tongue, waving a finger at her. "Now, is that any way to speak to a comrade, much less fellow Avenger?"

"What brings you here, Count?" Jeanne asked curiously. "Hopefully not here to stir trouble again. We've had enough of that."

"Believe me, Holy Maiden, I've learned my lesson. As to why I'm here, I'm actually hoping you two could help me." The two Servants looked at each other before turning back to Edmond, curious. "Jackal and myself were having something of a get-together with Sigurd and Brynhilde. Unfortunately, Jackal had to leave, and I left them for only a minute." A small quake shuddered throughout Chaldea, nearly knocking over small fine china in the room as a result. "And as you can tell, the results are disastrous."

Jack cocked her head to the side, a finger on her cheek. "I thought Big Sis Hildr didn't do that anymore."

"That was Penthesilea." Jeanne sighed sadly. "Brynhidlr is a work-in-progress."

* * *

In another part of Chaldea, a small band of Servants had gathered in the archery range. Given how many Archer-class Servants Chaldea had amassed, Da Vinci had decided it was time to expand the base. With a wide diversity of heroes of different eras, the archery range was considerably large and offered a fair amount of diversity. It was armed with state-of-the-art machinery, ranging from between traditional bamboo dummies to large round targets with red circles to even flying drones with a tipped horn that was flashing to indicate itself as a target.

"Remind me again," Robin Hood, a man bearing orange hair and a rather passive expression, deadpanned. "Why are we here?"

Oda Nobunaga, a short girl with raven black hair and red eyes with a red coat hanging over her shoulders, smirked. "To decide which among us is the best Archer, of course!" she declared with fervor. "And because Okita, being the cheapskate she is, decided to take Demon Saber out on a small excursion with Old Man Hassan!"

"...did you seriously just call the scariest Assassin this whole damn place an _old man_?" a young man dressed in western apparel asked with a sweat drop. A sentiment shared by all others present. "Nobu, friend, no offense, but you are either a brave idiot or crazy."

"Did you think I earned the title of Mad Fool of Okehazama for nothing, Billy the Kid? Now, are you in, or not?"

Billy shrugged his shoulders. "Depends, there a reward for this, aside from bragging rights?"

"Winner gets a free favor from the Masters and next in line for Saint Graph ascension!" Nobunaga announced.

"So we pretty much get a freebie and next out of the three of us to get a strengthened Saint Graph? ...meh. Why not?"

Robin shrugged. "I don't see a problem with this. Though quick question, why aren't Arjuna or any of the others participating in this?"

"It couldn't be helped..." Nobunaga sighed sadly. "Arjuna has taken to sparring with Rama and Karna for the whole day. I don't have to tell you where Artemis is, I hope? And Gilgamesh-"

"Which one?" Billy questioned. "Goldilocks or the shrimp?"

"Both. The bastard didn't think it was worth his time and the little one decided to spend some time with Enkidu. Tomoe and Fujino are busy helping Nero and those Romans with something, Kami only knows what, and Moriarity and Napolean are playing poker. Hence why only the three of us are here today."

Robin sighed. "Well, whatever. So long as I don't have to stick around to here Elizabeth singing."

"You brought that upon yourself." Billy snickered, earning a glare from the green bowman. "I have no idea why you punish yourself by hanging out with her."

"It's complicated, alright?"

"Whatever you say. So, how's this whole thing work, Oda?"

"It's easy. Winner's the one who hit the most targets. There will be several moving ones across the room alongside some stationary ones. Just shoot them all down." she explained. "But that's just a warm up! The real fun starts when Mashu shows!"

"Mashu? Why?"

"Hmhmhm~ You'll see!"

Twenty minutes later, Billy the Kid and Robin Hood were screaming and cursing Nobunaga's name as they tried to avoid being killed by a very pissed off Berserker-class Lancelot as he protected a defenseless and very confused Mashu.

* * *

Two hours before Oda came to ask Mashu for a favor, the Shielder-class Demi-Servant was sitting in the infirmary, sitting beside a bed with a book in her hand. In that bed was a woman with shoulder-length brown hair with a medical eyepatch pulled over the right side of her face, along with a faceful of gauze and bandages. The end result of Nightingale going overboard, as usual, though compared to her more recent attempts at medical aid, this was quite tame.

"How are you feeling, Ophelia-san?"

"I'm feeling alright. Still a bit weak though. And the pain is reduced to a dull ache at this point." The patient replied. Her current condition was the result of a month's worth of healing magecraft and spells from a state where she should've been dead.

Like Kadoc, Ophelia was once an enemy to Chaldea, being a member of the Crypters. Due to circumstances, she had chosen to fight alongside Chaldea, and nearly died. By all rights, she should have died back in the Lostbelt. It had only been through the intervention of Medea and EMIYA's respective Rule Breakers that she had managed to survive, though she had been critical condition ever since.

It had only been a few days after the Lostbelt incident that she woke up. And in that time, she was welcomed warmly, especially by Mashu. Truth be told, it wasn't that surprising, considering they originally had a cordial relationship before the start of the Singularities took place. Surprisingly, Sigurd had also warmly welcomed her to Chaldea, even though she was partially responsible for much of his state back during the Lostbelt. He held nothing against her, however, and even offered her his protection if she were to ever require it in the same way the Fujimaru siblings would. A similar offer even came from Bryhildr, who thanked her profusely for bringing Sigurd back to her, since it was thanks to Ophelia that Chaldea even managed to acquire his Saint Graph in the first place.

In the month following her awakening, she had been couped up in the infirmary, with Mashu visiting her every day whenever possible. The two had gotten reacquainted with one another, the latter retelling the exploits she, her Masters, and the other Servants took part in during the seven Singularities.

Sometimes, Fou was even present to see the girl's recovery. Speaking of the adorably fluffy animal, it was a surprise to Merlin that he had managed to retain his sentience and intelligence, despite losing his power as Beast IV to save Mash.

Ophelia had been aware of what the tiny little bugger actually was, though she could hardly believe it was actually a Beast.

After all, who expected Primate Murder to be a cute and cuddly little thing that liked to sit on top of your shoulder or head?

"That's a relief." Mashu said, her smile positively beaming. "According to Nightingale-san, you'll be able to leave here soon."

Ophelia's eye widened. "Is-is that so?" she asked, a bit surprised before she smiled also. "I can hardly wait. How are you doing today if it's okay to ask, Mashu? Has Galahad been acting up recently?"

"No. He's gone back to sleep, I think."

Another significant change from before. After defeating Goetia and the Remnants, Galahad had abandoned Mashu and Chaldea, informing Ritsuka and Gudako that their actions had ruined humanity's future and were no longer worthy. To say that they were disheartened would be an understatement. Even so, they continued to fight to ensure humanity's and their world's survival during the Lostbelts.

It was actually during that event where they came across Galahad again and fought him as an enemy. It was a long, hard battle. But in the end, they emerged victorious and learned the real reason why he had left them.

It had been a test of sorts. To see whether or not they could withstand what was to come, and what may come after. To use the same words that the Assassin-class Servant Tamamo-no-Mae had used, the Incineration of Human History was the "easy mode" and the Lostbelt and siege of the Alien God was the "hard mode."

Galahad wanted to see if they still had the power to overturn fate. He had expressed some guilt over his doubt as to whether or not they could overcome the battles ahead, but Gudako and Ritsuka had more than proven him wrong. After that, he offered his full support to them. After the events of the Lostbelts had concluded and the world had been returned to its original state, albeit in a state of disrepair following the Alien God's attack, Galahad had once again become inactive, rendering Mashu's Servant prowess somewhat limited for the time being.

"I see..." Ophelia hummed. "He's quite the finicky Servant, isn't he?"

Mashu giggled. "He's endearing in his own way." she said. "By the way, when you're free to leave, I want to introduce you to the other Servants here in Chaldea, if that's okay?"

"A-all of them?" Ophelia whispered, slightly terrified. While Sigurd and Brynhildr may hold nothing against her, she was sure that there were a few others who may have had a bone to pick with her. "Um, c-can I...think on it?"

"Of course!"

* * *

 _Yes, it was a time of peace and quiet for Chaldea. A victory, hard-fought and well-earned. And with the current state of the world, the Magi Association had more pressing concerns than the "heretics" who broke practically almost every major law. As a result, Chaldea was allowed a respite and room to breathe._

 _Of course, the day to day shenanigans that occurred here kept everyone busy, be it from the prank wars instigated by Nobunaga against Okita, the parties held by the Kid Trio, or by a social gathering of like-minded individuals._

 _However... Those peaceful days were about to come to an end._

* * *

Gudako weeped as she clung to Ritsuka's back, refusing to acknowledge the fact that someone other than her most beloved and trusted Servants had seen her naked. "I can't get married anymore..."

"There, there, Gudako..." Ritsuka sweat dropped as he attempted to comfort his sister.

Da Vinci, of course, ignored them both in favor of the data in front of her. Stars were twinkling in her eyes, saliva was falling from her mouth. "Incredible..." she whispered, panting. "This data is absolutely wonderful! I didn't think it was possible! If we were to implement this data, we can artificially induce a Quantum Slide! Ingenius! Zelretch, eat your heart out!"

"W-well, I'm glad we could be of help..." Ritsuka grimaced. "But, next time, please ask us instead of forcing us to go along. And for the love of whatever benevolent god that still exists in this world, please don't do anything stupid like use another Servant or staff member as a guinea pig."

"Hm? Did you say something, Ritsuka dear?"

The teen sighed. "Nothing..."

He really shouldn't bother with this. When Da Vinci becomes like this, nothing will get through to her. Well, maybe one person could've...but he was no longer here.

His expression fell somber upon recalling the memory of the friend they will never see again. Romani Archaman. Head of Chaldea medical department and former acting Director of Chaldea. A close friend and comrade that has been with them through thick and thin. Also known as the true King Solomon and Grand Caster.

The person who sacrificed himself so that Humanity would have a future. Due to his sacrifice, not only did he die, but he erased himself from the Throne of Heroes, making it impossible to bring him back by any means.

Romani was gone. Forever.

"...I miss him too, you know." Ritsuka looked up, finding Da Vinci's face touched with sadness. "Some days, I kind of expect him to just be hanging out in the infirmary or in a room somewhere, slacking off. And whenever I think that, I have this lecture all planned out in my head for him."

Ritsuka didn't know what to say to that. But he understood. Everyone in Chaldea dearly missed Roman, Servants included. The man had gotten to know them well, and touched their hearts one way or another.

David, King of Israel and Solomon's father, was one of the most distraught following Goetia's demise.

But time marched on and they eventually moved on. But they still missed the doctor. "...Romani better be happy he's gone." Gudako muttered into her brother's back, sniffling. "'cause next time I see him, I'm going to kick him in the balls."

The gloomy atmosphere was alleviated somewhat, as Da Vinci giggled and Ritsuka chuckled nervously. "I suppose that's all the more reason for him not to come back. Your kicks are dangerous, Gudako-chan." she said before she returned to her computer. With a few keystrokes, she opened up a live feed. "Edison, Tesla. Are you two there?"

"We'll call you back in a moment, Da Vinci!" the baritone voice of the Caster-class Servant Thomas Edison growled. "I'm in the middle of something!"

"Yes. You're in the middle of losing." another voice, this one belonging to Nikolai Tesla. "Admit it, fool. My genius far surpasses yours!"

Da Vinci sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Of course they were arguing. Really, with the way these two acted, one would think they were an old married couple! "If I may ask, what are you two arguing about this time?"

"Which one of us is most suited to helping Salieri and Mozart's next musical piece, of course!"

A moment passed before that sentence registered. All three of those present in the room blinked owlishly. "...I'm sorry, but could you repeat that?" Ritsuka asked. "I think we misheard you. Did you just say you two were trying to help _Salieri and Mozart_ make a new song?"

"Greetings, Master!" Tesla called back jovially. "And yes, we were, but as you can tell, this blowhard is trying my patience!"

"What was that, you senile-?!"

"Stop it." Da Vinci snapped. "Back to what you just said. Are you saying that Salieri and Mozart are in the same room?"

"Yes...?"

"...and Salieri hasn't tried to kill Mozart?!"

"To be fair," Edison said. "We left Queen Antoinette with them."

"Well, now that makes sense. Marie has a way with people." Gudako replied.

Due to Salieri's Saint Graph being twisted, practically as a result of the rumor that spread during his era that he killed Mozart, the Avenger-class Servant would try to kill Mozart. It took them several weeks just to try and get the man to tolerate his presence. At best, he could be in the same room as Mozart for about twenty minutes at most before flying off into a murderous rage. This was thankfully mitigated whenever Marie Antoinette was present, acting like a living moral inhibitor for the poor man. As such, Mozart and Salieri, so long as Marie was present, had a stable relationship, similar to the one they had back when they were both alive.

"Well, whatever." Da Vinci sighed. At least she wouldn't have to worry about another rampage. They already had to deal with Brynhilde trying to kill Sigurd earlier. "Just get your butts over here! The tests results are finally in! And I need all hands on deck for this, so please see if you can find Helena and Babbage!"

"Truly?!" Even though they couldn't see their faces, the Fujimaru siblings could practically hear the grin of excitement from Edison and Tesla, as they could hear things being moved around in the background. "We will be there in a moment!"

* * *

While Da Vinci, the inventors, and the Masters held their meeting, Chaldea was abuzz with activity elsewhere.

Aside from the archery range, there were several facilities that were meant to give the staff a sense of normalcy, especially since most of them preferred to stay here. Up until recently, they had all been prisoners here in Chaldea while trying to preserve Human History and whatnot. Among the many facilities was a pool, a bar, a lounge and various other sorts of places. There were also specially designed dorms meant to adhere to certain cultures, primarily for the Servants. By far, the most grandoise was the Roman dormitory, though only because Nero had requested Marie's input and put her own spin on things. The most modest had been the Arthurian dormitory, which mostly kept the default design of Chaldea, but with a few changes.

In the far back of Chaldea, however, there was a special area designed that had mostly been left forgotten. Very few staff members in Chaldea entered it, and even then, most had simply forgotten it even existed.

This room was referred to as "the Lostroom."

No one has entered the space since right after the Remnants. Not since Ritsuka and Gudako saw that vision of Galahad and Earth's destruction. It had begun to be left forgotten once again. At least, until now. For the first time since the beginning of the Crypters' emergence and the convergence of the Lostbelts, the room was active, evident by a single figure shifting about. At first glance, one might this person to be human, but had they deigned to look more closely, there was something unnatural. Their skin was deathly pale, almost entirely white at her torso while other parts of her body were metallic gray. Their arms and legs were coated blue, as if they were wearing gloves and boots, but there was no indication they wore anything, save perhaps the translucent veil.

No, not a veil. It was their hair, spilling down close to her feet. Blue markings were etched into their face while their ears were pointed, not unlike that of an elf, while white decorations wrapped around the back of their head. Their eyes were strange, yet somehow beautiful. A mysterious shade of blue that twinkled and dazzled.

This unnamed figure, inhuman yet bearing a female body, gazed at the room for only a meager moment before it placed its hand against the table. A soft glow radiated from its touch before it pulled its hand back, leaving behind an object.

Seemingly with its objective complete, the figure stepped back and faded away, as if never there to begin with.

The Lostroom was once again still, though not for long...

* * *

"YES! At last, it's done!"

The assortment of genius inventors from across the ages all stepped back, allowing the two Masters to look at what they had created. In all honesty, neither could truly make sense of what it was supposed to be or if it was even meant to be anything. One thing was for sure, it was large. Enough so that it filled up almost the entirety of the back wall of the room, practically embedded into it with various instruments and tubes piercing into the wall.

"...alright, I'll bite." Gudako said, cocking her head to the side. "What the heck is this thing? And how is it supposed to artificially induce something similar to the Second Magic? Actually, wait. Never mind that question! Is it safe?!"

"This, my dear Gudako, is our greatest project to date. To put it simply, it's a dimensional generator that will imitate the effects of Kaleidoscope's ability to traverse different worlds using Rayshifting as a basis. As for your last question...theoretically it should be."

"T-theoretically?!"

Ritsuka, wanting to give the woman of a benefit of a doubt, tried to his best not to look disappointed with her. "It won't explode, will it?" he asked.

It was the giant armored Charles Babbage, another Caster-class Servant, that answered. "Had Helena or myself not tweaked its design, it would have." he admitted, making Gudako balk in horror before glaring at Da Vinci, who looked away and whistled innocently. "However, we had to convince Tesla and Edison not to make it nuclear."

Gudako's face paled. "You two wanted to make it nuclear?!" she cried in horror. Neither of the two siblings dared to imagine what would happen if it did explode with nuclear in mind. A destroyed room was one thing, but a destroyed base was another thing altogether. "What the hell is wrong with you two?! Aren't you two supposed to be the smart ones?! Not even Da Vinci is that stupid!"

"Hey!" Da Vinci pouted. "I take great offense to that..."

The two Servants and rivals at least had the decency to look somewhat ashamed. Helena coughed into her hand, bringing the attention to her. "If it does explode, it'll only really ruin the room and spill out into the hallway. The only real damage it would cause is to Da Vinci's equipment. We would have asked Holmes for his input, but he's busy helping the Count with trying to prevent Brynhildr from killing Sigurd again." She then turned back to the gigantic contraption, putting a hand on her hip. "If we're being honest here, I really doubt it will have the desired effect Da Vinci thinks it will have. Even I'm not entirely sure this thing will work."

"Well, only one real way to find out." Ritsuka shrugged. "But, if it does work... What's going to happen? It's not going to send us to another dimension, right?" The raven-haired boy gave the Servants a pleading look. "At some point in time, I really do want to go back home and visit our parents." Gudako nodded in agreement. It had felt like ages since they last seen them, and lord only knows what was going on in the outside world, aside from the Magi Association being the uptight pricks they usually were.

"It should be fine! ...I think." Da Vinci stuck her tongue out, making everyone present groan in exasperation. "Now, who wants the honors of activating this beauty?"

"Well, if there's the chance it's gonna explode, might as well take responsibility as Chaldea's first master." Ritsuka sighed.

Besides, he knew full well nobody else was going to volunteer for this. Some days, he thought he must have been a glutton for punishment. He walked up to the machine, with Da Vinci giving him instructions. He sucked in a breath and closed his eyes as he put his hand against a small blank plate. His prana and od began to flow into his arm, circuits flaring. Energy was poured into the machine, evident by the circuits that lit up all across its gigantic metal framework. It began to slow groan to life, pistons pumping, gears spinning and steam blowing out from its pipes while its various monitors began to flash. Gudako watched in amazement as the hulking metal creature was now pretty much one giant Christmas tree, minus all the leaves and woodwork and double the decorations.

"Yes, it's working!" Da Vinci cried, stars dancing in her eyes. "Ooh, listen to her purr! If only that bumbling idiot Romani was here to-"

A spark danced across the machine, silencing her immediately. Then another. And then another.

"...um, Da Vinci?" Ritsuka nervously asked. "Is it supposed to do that?"

"...no. No, it isn't." More sparks began to dance as the machine sped up, almost haphazardly while letting out bizarre noises. "We may, uh, want to get down!"

* * *

It came without warning. At first, it sounded like a wave of static, blaring into her ears before it increased ten-fold into overwhelming pain. "Mashu!" Ophelia cried as she watched Mashu fall to the ground, clutching her head. "What's wrong?!"

"I-I don't know!" She screamed in discomfort and panic. "There's something wrong! My head hurts!"

It felt like there was something burning inside her. Her skin was tingling, hairs standing on end. Something inside of her was on fire, burning her from the inside. Worse, her head felt like it was splitting. She had no idea what was going on. But it was definitely not good!

Ophelia pulled herself out of the bed, ignoring the ache in her bones as she tried to steady Mashu. However, she soon found herself struggling to keep herself up when she felt the whole world around her begin to quake. A nearby vase shook and then fell to the floor, shattering. "A-an earthquake?"

Mashu hissed and whimpered, trying to block out the pain. Neither girl noticed the flowing cold blue light that started to seep around her body.

* * *

 _Slowly, a pair of hazel eyes began to open, as if waking up from a long dream..._

* * *

The pain abruptly ceased and Mashu felt her mind blank out for a second. Then her body went limp in Ophelia's arms, eyes rolling to the back of her head. "M-Mashu?!" Ophelia cried in a panic. Thankfully, it only seemed as if the girl was unconscious. Chaldea continued to tremble for what seemed like an hour before it finally came to an end. The world became still while warning sirens blared.

"Is..." the woman panted. "Is it over?"

The door to the infirmary was thrown open as a woman wearing a red uniform and cap entered the room, her expression a mix between mania and worry. "Is everyone okay?!"

"I-I'm fine, but Mashu's unconscious! She said her head hurts before-before...!"

* * *

Ritsuka opened his eyes to find himself falling. All he saw was bright blue, with white clouds passing him by.

 _'What...?'_ he thought, his mind cloudy and marred with static. He could barely hear himself think. _'What's going on? What was I...?'_

 _ **"...Wake up, Fujimaru-kun."**_

The voice was familiar to him. He swore he had heard it before. Ritsuka blinked, and suddenly he was no longer falling. Instead, he was lying face-down on the ground with Gudako over him, face completely taken with fear and hysteria. "Y-you're okay!" she cried as tears fell from her face. "Oh, thank god!"

"G-Gudako...?" Ritsuka whispered, prying himself off the floor. "Ow... What happened?"

"I-I don't know! There was shaking! A bright light! And...and...!" She spoke in a frantic manner.

"Gudako, breathe." He kindly told his sister.

"Where's Da Vinci and the others?"

"I'm here..." the Caster-class Servant said, appearing within his field of vision. "And to answer your question, you may want to look behind you." Ritsuka did as he was told and gasp. The spot where the machine should have been was completely obliterated. Scorch marks practically seared itself into the wall with scraps of shrapnel and metal decorating the walls. The machine was a twisted mangle of a mess, no longer capable of being called a machine. It looked more like a giant, mangled mesh of twisted and burned metal. "The device malfunctioned and, well... We're still trying to figure out what happened."

"Where are the others?"

"Helping the others. The power went out and we're trying to restore it. Several areas in Chaldea have also gone dark, though thankfully, none of the important areas have lost power." she said before she grimaced. "I'm sorry, Ritsuka-kun. I didn't think this would happen. I think an explosion would have been preferrable to this..."

Ritsuka smiled sardonically. "Yeah, tell me about it..." If there was an explosion, at most there would've been contained damage and injuries that could be healed. But now they were left in the dark. Literally. "How is everyone?"

"Fine, for the most part. A few injuries, but nothing more." she replied before she frowned. "But... We have a problem."

"Problem?"

"It's Mashu."

* * *

No sooner had Leonardo Da Vinci told them did they rush over to the infirmary. "Mashu!" Ritsuka cried out in concern as he ripped the door open.

Gudako entered after him. There they saw a distraught Ophelia sitting beside an unconscious Mashu, her glasses discarded and her jacket removed. "Please keep your voices down." Nightingale gently reprimanded the two as they rushed over to their friend's side. "There are other people here who are injured."

"S-sorry." Gudako winced. "But what happened to Mashu?"

Ophelia bit her lip. "I don't know..." she said, clearly distraught. "Before the earthquake hit, her head started to hurt. Then she went unconscious."

"But she's fine, right?" Ritsuka pleaded. "Please tell me she's okay!"

"She is fine. We're monitoring her vitals, as well as investigating the causes." the Berserker Nurse replied curtly. "Have faith in us, Master. Mashu will be alright."

"...Thank you, Nightengale..." Ritsuka nodded. It just hurt him to see Mashu like this. He hadn't felt this helpless about her condition since right after the Fifth Singularity when she suddenly collapsed and he learned of her nature as a Demi-Servant. Suffice to say, it had not done him any favors to his mental health. And that was to say nothing of when Salomon had come to pass. Gently, he wrapped a hand around hers, holding it tightly. Silently, he prayed for her health as he lowered his head.

Watching the sight unfold, Gudako's heart throbbed. It took her everything not to squeal at the sight. Then she reminded herself of the current situation. She turned to Nightingale. "I get that Chaldea's going through a blackout, but do we actually know what happened? I know Da Vinci's latest experiment caused it, but this? And Mashu blacking out at the same time?"

"It is strange." Nightingale nodded. "However, we haven't checked the status of the outside. If memory serves, Master Kadoc and Anastasia decided to head outside and assess the-"

"FUJIMARU-SAN!"

Nightingale frowned in distaste as Kadoc stumbled into the infirmary, panting and sweaty. "What did I just say about yelling?! There are injured-"

"Lecture me later!" Kadoc growled. "Fujimaru, y-you need to come out and see this!"

"What?" Gudako asked. "Kadoc-kun, what's going on?"

"Just follow me! I-I don't think words can explain this!" Gudako and Ritsuka looked at one another, and then back at Kadoc. The two of them looked at one another before looking back at Kadoc, who looked shaken. Ritsuka took one more look at Mashu, then reluctantly pulled his hand away from her before he followed his sister and Kadoc out of the infirmary. "You two are NOT going to believe this..."

* * *

An ocean.

It was a crystalline ocean that stretched out before them, rather than the chilly cold mountains that surrounded Chaldea. A body of water that stretched out as far as the eye could see, with only faint sillhouetes of land in sight. A starry night sky hanged above their heads, creating an almost beautiful scenery. Were it not for the current situation and the matters at hand, such a beautiful scene would have been greatly appreciated.

Now, however, the sight only filled the Fujimaru siblings with dread. "Why..." Ritsuka gasped, finding his throat inexplicably dry. "Why is there an ocean? What happened to the mountains?"

"I don't know..." Kadoc shook his head, running a hand through his white locks. "This is what me and Anastasia found when we checked outside to see if anything else happened."

"Did we get transported somewhere else? Is this a Singularity?" He sincerely doubted that was the case, but given that Da Vinci's machine was using Rayshift as a basis as a means of traversal, he wasn't about to rule anything out. He looked at Gudako, who's attention was focused solely on the stars. "Gudako, is something wrong?"

"...Ritsu-nii?" Gudako spoke in a whisper. "That...that is the moon, right?"

The male Fujimaru frowned at that before he looked up.

And then he understood her shock.

It was most definitely the moon. However...the moon was shattered into numerous pieces! Half of it was whole, yet the rest of it was broken off into fragments!

"...this can't be physically possible..." Ritsuka finally said. "That-that's the Type-Moon. That is NOT possible."

"It is possible..." Kadoc said with mirth. "I can't tell if this is a Singularity or a Lostbelt. But whatever the case is, Fujimaru-kun... I don't think we're on Earth anymore."

* * *

In the distance, visible from across the wide forest that stretched out before her, there was smoke and fire. The night air was cool, but thick with tension. Even from here, she could feel it. Negativity. A cold breeze whipped by, causing her red cloak to flutter. A nightmarish screech rung as a black shape passed over her, resembling a bird with a white bony mask. She looked up and watched them leave, heading straight for the town that was being besieged by these creatures.

She sucked in a breath, closing her eyes as she pulled out a red rifle from the back of her hip. With the push of a button, the rifle suddenly began to extend. Pieces clicked and shifted, moving upward and spreading out, becoming more broad and unfolding into sharpened blade. Within a few seconds, the rifle became a long curved scythe.

Another screech rung in her ears. Her eyes opened, revealing pools of silver. Her body vanished in a red flourish, flowing and flying onto the back of the giant bird, blade digging into its back. It screeched in pain, but continued regardless. A brief wave of nostalgia passed by, reminding the girl of happier times.

For the upteenth time since arriving Anima, Ruby Rose missed her old team.

* * *

 ** _A World has opened its eyes, for a fragment of another World has arrived in its threshold._**

 ** _Legends shall revive, and unfold into a greater one._**

 ** _Will history repeat itself, or will you forge a brighter future?_**

 ** _I shall look forward to it..._**

Chapter: END


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello, everybody! And welcome to a new chapter of Chaldea in Remnant! First off, I gotta say. I am happy to see that there's a lot of people who are enjoying the story. Of course, I noticed a few people complaining about the random little segments, like Nobunaga's sharpshooting contest or the Cu Chulainns and Scathachs talking with Cu Alter about his own nickname and whatnot. They're slice of life pieces, mostly meant to showcase what life in Chaldea has been like, considering this is set after the events of Cosmos in the Lostbelt._

 _Also, bad news. I've unfortunately come down with a nasty cold, complete with a cough and nauseous stomach. I'll still work on R-eset, as I did promise everyone that I would put all my attention on it, but that might be a bit hard at the moment. Really sorry, everyone!_

 _For now, please enjoy this chapter~_

* * *

 _ **The World is an existence, alien and incomprehensible to man.**_

 _ **There is no force on this earth that can understand it, save for the World itself.**_

 _ **In your plane of existence, there are two Worlds - the World that embodies the subconscious desire for continued human existence and the World that embodies the desire to protect the Earth from its continued desecration.**_

 _ **However...does a universe, so different and unconnected to our own, possess its own World?**_

 _ **If so, then what sort of World could it be?**_

 _ **Is it a World that acts like Alaya, or is perhaps the same as Gaea?**_

 _ **Alas, that is an answer that has yet to develop a question.**_

 _ **But...you already have your answer, don't you?**_

* * *

 **A Fate/Grand Order x RWBY Crossover:**

 _ **"Chaldea in Remnant"**_

* * *

 **Fate/02: To New Lands, With a New Crisis**

"...I'm sorry. Could you repeat that Da Vinci-san?"

"I said," the Caster-class Servant said with a hint of annoyance, hands on her hips. "It is very likely that we have stumbled across another world. Or more accurately, another universe entirely."

The room was filled with silence. Ritsuka, Gudako and Kadoc all stared at the Servant, with mixed expressions. Gudako looked like a deer in headlights, Kadoc looked skeptic at best, and Ritsuka merely had a frown. Ophelia was not present, on account of her being in the infirmary looking after Mashu. Following a survey of their newfound surroundings after the sudden malfunction of the machine that was meant to artificially induce the Kaleidoscope, they had tried to search for an explanation as to what kind of place they might have found themselves in.

Ritsuka had first guessed that they were in a Singularity, or perhaps another Lostbelt. Maybe even a parallel world. Any of those could be feasible, considering that in his world, the Type-Moon was still intact.

"...given what we've been through, I might be able to believe that." he said, breaking the silence. "But how did you come up with that conclusion?"

Da Vinci gestured to the monitor behind her. "When you all told me how the Type-Moon was fractured, I had requested Charles and Helena's assistance in developing probes of sorts. Drones would be the more accurate term, but they're capable of entering space, believe it or not. We scattered about a hundred of them up into the atmosphere, and they're currently mapping the globe. This is what we found."

The monitor flickered and revealed an image. It was a map of what they assumed were the continents...but they were all unrecognizable. They were oddly shaped, two of which resembling even dragons of some kind. "Either human history has seriously diverged..." Kadoc folded his arms. "Or this world's tectonic activity is very skewed."

"So, um..." Gudako held up a hand, question marks dancing above her head. "How did you come to the conclusion that this is an alternate dimension? Different continents and a broken Type-Moon are a red flag that we're not in our home world anymore, but for all we know, this is a messed up parallel world."

"We went over all known data recorded by Sorcerer Zelretch." Sherlock Holmes, the Ruler-class Servant and Da Vinci's go-to helper in more scientific purposes and fellow academic researcher, said as he took a swift drag of his pipe. "It's a preliminary guess, but based on the continents, star designations and other surrounding celestial bodies, we've confirmed that this follows no known pattern in any form of human history. To put it simply, this world is not part of our universe."

"So...we're in an alternate dimension?!"

Da Vinci nodded. "Correct."

Ritsuka sighed as he hanged his head low. "And here I thought the Lostbelts would be the last of our problems..." he muttered under his breath. "And does this have anything to do with that machine you built, Da Vinci-san?" For her part, the Servant did look sheepish as she looked away, feeling particularly guilty. "Okay, then... If we are in an alternate dimension, is there any way we can get back?"

"Not at present, but we are working on finding a solution." Holmes answered smoothly. "In the meantime, Da Vinci and myself have been discussing our present course of actions. We could also your input, considering you three are our Masters."

"What have you thought up as appropriate actions to take?"

"One idea was to locate civilization in this world and make contact with its inhabitants to obtain knowledge and understanding of its history, society, and culture. We may stumble across information that we could potentially utilize."

"Another was to stay afar from this worlds civilization to remain inconspicuous and hidden. That way, we would not tamper with the order of things as this world is not meant to be destroyed like the Lostbelts or Singularities."

Gudako scratched the back of her head. "Well, I can kind of get behind the second idea. We don't know what the people here in this universe are like. They've got their own troubles to deal with, I bet. I personally don't think we should get involved."

"But on the other hand, information is power." Kadoc countered reasonably. "Even if we do decide to remain anonymous, we should learn all we can about our surroundings. Besides, given Chaldea's track record, who's to say we won't get involved in whatever's happening in this world?"

Ritsuka had to admit that Kadoc had a point. Chaldea, up to this point, always had found itself involved in some kind of world-threatening crisis or another. Who's to say they wouldn't somehow get involved? Debating on the two choices, both sides had merit. That being said, Kadoc had raised a good point. Even if they chose not to get involved, they would still need information about this world in order to get by.

"I think we should settle for a middle ground." he eventually reached his decision. "We won't get involved in the affairs of this world unless we absolutely have to. But we should learn what we are dealing with. What's the closest continent?"

"That would be this one." Da Vinci pointed to the bottom-most continent. "We're just a few hundred kilometers off its shore by the West side of its coast. To be on the safe side, I've asked Scathach and Medea to erect a Boundary Field around Chaldea in the event somebody notices us."

"And what about your drones? Do you think they could survey the other continents and gather information about them?"

Holmes smiled. "It is possible."

"Then please send them out. While we personally survey this continent, the drones would survey the others so we can accumulate information in mass."

"Look at you, taking charge all of a sudden, Ritsu-nee." the red-haired Master giggled. Ritsuka just now realized how he sounded and blushed, looking away in embarrassment. "Oh, no need to start feeling shy all of a sudden! Still, I guess this is a good plan as any. By the way, Da Vinci-san..." Gudako glanced at the items that were sitting on the table beside the Servant. One was some sort of black box, small and about the size of a tiny wood building block toy. Another was a bronze tiara, the design similar to what an Amazon wore. The last was some kind of scepter, decorated with a large green emerald gem sitting on top of the wood. "What are all of those?"

Da Vinci huffed. "Gifts left behind by someone who got into Chaldea before this whole mess started. Who, I don't know. Okita and her little patrol group were doing a sweep of Chaldea for any unusual changes and checked the Lostroom. She found these inside."

"The Lostroom...?" Ritsuka frowned. He remembered being in that room before. He and Gudako both. The siblings shared a look, then turned back to the Caster. "Any idea what they could be?"

"We're in the process of analyzing them, but if I were to hazard a guess, I would say they are catalysts." Holmes said. "The box is actually some sort of lock. A very difficult and pleasant lock, by the way. Whoever made it has my compliments! Whatever's inside must be quite something, if they left it for us."

Kadoc examined the items on the table, rubbing his chin. "The tiara might be to a Heroic Spirit from maybe Penthesilea's time, but I can't tell about the scepter. I don't recognize the design, either."

"It is truly strange. We can't find any records of anything remotely similar in inhuman history." Da Vinci agreed.

"But if they are catalysts, then shouldn't we try to summon the spirits they come from?" Gudako asked.

"Not advisable at the moment." Holmes shook his head. "Thanks to Da Vinci's experiment going awry, many of Chaldea's functions have been having power issues. Attempting to summon a Servant when the system is malfunctioning is a bad idea. That, and I'd like to study them a bit longer. See what else we can learn about them. And also find out what's inside this little black box."

"Then in the meantime, I guess we can go investigate that landmass." she nodded in understanding. "Just to be on the safe side, though, we should probably take one or two Servants with us."

"In that case, how about Tesla and Edison?" Da Vinci asked. "Ever since they learned about our new surroundings, they've been dying to see what this world has to offer. Just be sure to keep them on a leash, yes? Last thing we need is for them to raise a stink and cause trouble for you."

Kadoc nodded. "One of us should also stay behind, in case something happens."

"In that case, I'll stay behind." Ritsuka said, surprising them. Kadoc was about to volunteer to stay behind, if only because he was partially nervous about the current state of affairs. Then it became clear why Ritsuka wanted to stay behind, given the troubled look on his face. "Mashu still hasn't waken up yet. I..."

"Good grief..." Gudako sighed, yet in spite of that she had a grin on her face. "Just give her a Sleeping Beauty wake-up call and kiss her already! Seriously, you two really need to just confess to each other already."

"Agreed." Kadoc folded his arms. "It's fairly obvious."

"Seriously guys?" Ritsuka fought an incoming blush. Ever since the Lostbelts had been destroyed, they have been teasing him and Mash about this. "If anything, have you done the same with Anastasia, Kadoc?"

Kadoc looked away, frowning. Gudako shook her head. "Alright, alright. Just let us know when she wakes up, okay?" Ritsuka nodded strongly. "Okay, then. Time we get going. I'll go grab those two idiots. They're probably squabbling about something stupid, anyway."

* * *

The Servants had not exactly been concerned about the current state of affairs in Chaldea. If anything, they were more concerned about themselves and their Masters. After all, this situation was one they had been in countless times before, so it was hardly anything new. Granted, being in a whole new dimension entirely did throw them for a loop, but as far as they were concerned, it was just another day in the office.

That being said, more than a few of them were inconvenienced by the power fluctuations and problems in the machinery. It even reached the point to where certain parts of the facility had to be cordoned off in order to preserve power.

"Just when things were becoming exciting..." Nero Claudius sighed as she hanged her head low. "What a horrible time for Da Vinci's experiment to rear its ugly head! I was finally ready to deliver the greatest performance of a lifetime!"

Tamamo-no-Mae, or rather the Caster variant of the Servant, gave the red-clad Saber a flat look. "I think we should actually feel lucky that something exploded for once. Saved our ears, especially since you were going to have a duet with Elizabeth."

"Umu! It would have been a glorious duet!"

"I was insulting you, you moron!"

Off to the side, Attila the Hun sighed. It had taken a lot of begging, but Elizabeth and Nero had finally prepared a duet that would have surely been disastrous. Nero wasn't a bad singer per say, and the others only pretended to like her music because they didn't wish to be rude. Well, some of them pretended. Others just flat out told her she was horrible, but somehow Nero took it as words of encouragement to improve. Elizabeth, however, could not sing to save her life, even if she tried. Thus, when news spread, many feared for their ears. Never before had they been so thankful for an incident like this to occur.

Still, she wished she could read the book Gao had let her borrow in peace. Why did they have to be so noisy? Were they Bad Civilization? No. If they were, she would have wiped them out were they stood.

"Never mind that, this is horrible!" Tamamo growled, folding her arms. "Because of these damned fluctuations, access to the kitchen has been prohibited! How am I supposed to make a wonderful meal for our Masters now?!"

"Hold a moment." Attila lifted her head, now alert with eyes narrowed. "You were making dinner?"

"Of course I was! Tonight was my turn."

"Was the Shark involved in those plans?"

"No! After the last time, I forbid her from kitchen duty."

Attila's lips thinned. "Good."

The Shark they spoke of was one of the incarnations of Tamamo-no-Mae. More specifically, a Lancer-class Servant. Unlike other Servants who had different versions, each Tamamo was already identified in their own ways. The Caster Tamamo was always just Tamamo, as she was the first one summoned and the overall dominant one. The Berserker Tamamo was Tamamo-cat, for rather obvious reasons. Tamamo-shark was named as such for her aggressive pursuit of the Masters.

And the less said about the Assassin Tamamo-vitch, the better.

"Speaking of dinner..." Nero put a finger to her cheek. "If we are unable to access the kitchen, how will we feed the Masters?"

"We have storeroom provisions." Attila pointed out to them.

Tamamo rejected that proposal vehemetly. "Absolutely not! That is utter pig slob, not fit for even a peasant! How can you suggest such a thing?! Have you no heart?!"

"I am far less picky about our foods. Our Masters even less so." she shrugged. She then took a glance around the room. She noticed a grand handful of Servants all interacting with each other, but there were just as many who chose to remain in their respective dorms, feeling either that they needed to be ready for combat or chose not to associate themselves with others. Or another random reason, such as avoiding other Servants for whatever reason or another.

However, she couldn't help but notice that something felt...incredibly off. Off to the corner of the room, she found both Joan and Jeanne looking after the small Servant girls, the sight of them enough to warm her heart. However, there was one person missing in all of this.

"Where is Atalante?" she asked, causing her friends to look at her. "Normally when we gather in the Common Room, she's always with Jack, Abigail, Nursery Rhyme and little Joan. But I cannot find her amidst this crowd."

Nero searched the room, and true enough, she could not spot the Archer Servant anywhere. "Umu. That is unusual. Is she sick?"

"You oaf." Tamamo said flatly. "Servants can't get sick. But I do agree, this is weird. Where could she be?"

* * *

Atalante and the Berserker Servant that was the twisted parody of Cu Chulainn had encountered each other in one of the hallways leading to the room where SHEBA was held. The two rarely ever interacted, with the Berserker Cu Chulainn having no reason to associate himself with her and the Archer even less of a reason, holding a slight dislike for the man and his brutal and barbaric methods. For the sake of her Masters, she tolerated the man, but she otherwise held a small dislike for him.

"What brings you out here, Archer?" Berserker Cu asked.

Atalante huffed. "For the same reason as you. You smell it, don't you?"

"Aye. There is someone inside Chaldea. Someone that shouldn't be here."

Cu Chulainn Alter's senses we're sharper than most. Form his legend of constant combat mixed with his twisted existence as a one man war, he could determine if something was amiss.

Like now, he could tell that something was wrong in Chaldea.

Jan 6There was definitely someone or something here. Whatever they were, they were neither human or Servant. Something unnatural. Either it had snuck inside, or it came with them when they were thrown into this weird place. Either way, he had a duty as a Servant to guard his Masters and protect them. Eliminating a threat was common sense.

Atalante shared his views. If there was a potential threat inside Chaldea, it had to be removed. So they moved about and followed the scent. After scouting through most of the facility, they eventually came to where the scent was strongest. "Just around the corner." Cu Alter said, eyes narrow and grip on his spear tight. Atalante grasped her bow and calmly approached, slowly making her way around the corner.

They were about ready to pounce and eliminate the intruder, but stopped dead in their tracks. The Berserker blinked rapidly in confusion, unsure what he was looking at while Atalante's demeanor completely changed as she put her bow on her back and rushed over. "Is that...a child?" he asked, unsure whether or not his eyes were playing tricks on him.

There was a little girl lying against the floor, curled in the fetal position. She had fairly short blond hair, which turned into a brighter yellow as it came closer to the tips. There was a black-headband in her hair, and her side ponytail was tied with a green ribbon. On her neck was a black-ribboned necklace with a small, hanging jewel. She wore a short yellow and white dress with a big flowery bow on the back. She also wore a single brown glove wrapped in the same ribbon in her hair on her right hand. She had big brown boots with buckles and yellow ribbons wrapped around her legs.

"The hell? How did a kid even get in here?" Cu Alter wondered as he kept his spear prepped, refusing to take any chances.

Atalanta checked the girl over. "I don't know, but she doesn't seem injured." Given her legend, it was not surprising to see her fret over a small child, even if she was possibly an enemy. "But she's definitely what we were smelling... But what is she?"

"Mngh..." Possibly due to the two discovering her, the girl began to stir from her sleep. Her eyes fluttered open, revealing irises that continued to change colors. From green to orange to brown and finally to white before changing back to green and repeating the color. "Who...?"

"Are you alright?" Atalanta asked as she helped the girl up, pulling her upright. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I..." the girl shook her head before she looked at Atalanta, studying her intently. "...Faunus? Or human?"

"What?"

"No, you're...neither." The nameless girl cocked her head to the side. "What...are you...?"

"That's what we should be asking you." Cu Alter stated. "How did you get in Chaldeas?"

"Chaldeas..." the girl muttered the name, lowering her head. "I do not...recall that name."

Atalanta frowned. "What's your name?"

"My name... I do not remember it." she confessed, making Atalanta gasped. Cu Alter narrowed his eyes. "I do not remember my name."

* * *

Kadoc and Gudako had left, just a few minutes before Atalanta and Cu Alter would have reported the appearance of this mysterious girl. Edison had chosen to remain in Spirit Form unless required when they left once Da Vinci managed to provide them an accurate map of the continent and the most likely place where they could find a large number of people. Tesla, however, thanks to his more human appearance, was able to remain present with them, much to Edison's chagrin. To keep the two from arguing any further, two other Servants were chosen to accompany the two Masters, those being Salieri and Mozart.

"Remember, if we catch you two arguing or trying to kill each other at all during this escapade, you are spending a whole day with Kiara." Gudako warned the two Heroic Spirits with a seirous look. Kadoc, however, had to stifle a chuckle as she looked more adorable than stern. "Am I understood?"

Mozart smiled widely. "I can follow that order just fine, Master." he said smoothly. "Sadly, the only person who may not be able to follow up on that promise is Salieri."

The gray-haired man scowled. "I've told you before never to call me that."

"And I will call you by that name for as long as I live, my friend."

"Do I need to use a Command Seal to get you two to behave?!"

Edison sighed. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I dare say that even Tesla and I are far more amicable than those two." he commented. "And more often than not, it's Salieri starting it. Mozart for whatever reason just adds more fuel to the fire."

"Well, Sallieri can't help it." Kadoc pointed out. "It's just part of his legend. In hindsight, we should have brought Marie with us. At any rate, how far is it to this city?"

"Shouldn't be too far now." Tesla answered. "However, Da Vinci did warn us about this world's apparent hostile wildlife. These black creatures remind me of Angra's Noble Phantasm, but they come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Multiple images show birds, wolves, snakes and even boars of similar design. They're easily distinguishable by the bone-white masks they have."

Gudako hummed. "And they fit the term hostile wildlife. If we run into them, we could..."

"Hold that thought." Kadoc cut in. "Look over there." He pointed down the road. There was a group of people all gathered around what looked like a checkpoint, with men dressed in kevlar vests and padded armor trying to calm down the gathered group.

"Guards, from the look of it." Salieri noted. "A checkpoint, it seems."

"What's the big idea?!" one of the people in the crowd said angrily. "Why can't we go into Vale?!"

"There's been an increase of Grimm activity in the area. For your own safety, please, you need to return."

"Look, pal. I get you're trying to do your job, but I got a family in Vale! You can't just keep people out!"

Kadoc frowned. "Grimm?" he questioned. "What could that be?"

"Might be the wildlife, or a group that's been raising a ruckus." Gudako offered. "From the sounds of it, though, traffic into the city's being restricted. How are we supposed to get inside?"

As they observed, the entry pointed were blocked by guards while the surrounding area was fenced off with high stone walls. "We could try hopping over." Tesla suggested. "The problem would be how we are to explain our presence."

"Aye." Edison nodded in agreement. "From the sounds of it, they've blocked off all entry and exit into the city."

"I said I need to get into Vale!" One of the citizens complained.

"I'm sorry sir. But it's for your own safety. Please turn back." The guard warned again.

"If this keeps up, we're gonna have a riot on our hands." Gudako murmured. "What should we do?"

"Well, when the hell can we get inside then?!" another person questioned.

The guard sighed. "If the Grimm activity is quelled, or if you're accompanied by a Huntsman. But until then, please! Return to your homes!"

"Huntsman?" Mozart questioned. "An intruiging title... Perhaps that could be our way inside."

Kadoc frowned. "How do you mean?" The Caster-class Servant smiled widely.

* * *

As it turned out, Huntsmen were more or less the heroes and guardians of this world, tasked with protecting the Kingdoms and cities from danger such as the Grimm - which were more than likely the black beasts that roamed the city. The guards had been about to deliver the same warnings to Gudako and Kadoc, but when they saw the equipment Tesla was sporting, as well as the blade on Salieri's person, they somehow assumed they were Huntsman. This, in turn, let them inside. The citizens were still asked to stay away, but Gudako being the bleeding heart that she was promised that she'd help get them inside.

"We were extroardinarily lucky!" Edison boomed. "It seems whoever has weapons, or at the very least looks the part of a warrior, is considered to be a Huntsman."

Kadoc nodded. "Yeah, but I'm starting to see why the guards wouldn't let them inside."

Vale, the city they were in, looked like a disaster zone. Debris and fallen storefronts and shops and buildings were scattered everywhere. In the distance, gray stacks of smoke rose into the air. The smell of ash flooded their noses, and as far as the eye could see, all there was was simply destruction. Nothing more, and nothing less. In the far distance, the ruined remains of what appeared to be a tower could be seen, with some sort of statue sitting at the top.

"Did these Grimm do all this?" Salieri questioned, a hand at his chin. "Moreover, what is that statue in the distance? It appears to be a dragon or of the like."

"Whatever it is, I can feel malicious intent from it." Mozart informed. "As well as everywhere else in the city. It seems they're all attracted to that statue. It's inactive at present, but it could be possible for it to wake up at any moment."

"Well, we better get to work, then!" Gudako said, determined. "If we help these people out, we might be able to get some information about wherever we are! Tesla, do you still have the map Da Vinci gave you?" The inventor nodded and extended a hand, creating a holographic image of what appeared to be the city of Vale. Their location on the map was represented by a blue dot. "Okay, it looks like we're in the southern end of the city. I'm guessing the red dots are the Grimm."

Kadoc studied the map, then spoke up. "It seems there's a high number of them to the north and west areas. I say we break into two groups and deal with them that way. If we split up, we can cover more ground." Gudako nodded in agreement. It seemed like the safest plan at the moment. "I'll take Salieri and Edison with me."

'Smart move.' the red-head thought. It was better to keep the people most likely to start a fight away from each other. "Just make sure Edison is in Astral Form in case someone sees him. I don't want to have to explain to people why there's someone with a lion for a head running around."

"Fair enough."

* * *

Ever since Beacon fell, Glynda Goodwitch had gone to hell. Whatever that damned dragon was, even in its stone-like state, it was attracting Grimm from all over the kingdom. Even areas that had minimal Grimm activity like the Emerald Forest and Forever Fall were reported to have abnormal amounts of Grimm. It was like a homing signal, and it was making their job a lot harder.

There was only so much the Deputy Headmistress and her fellow teachers could accomplish. It had been months since the horrible events of the Vytal Festival, and the civil unrest was getting worse. And they couldn't ask for aid from the other Kingdoms, especially now since the CCT was out of commission. They were practically stranded.

Worse, Ozpin was dead. The one man who seemingly had a plan for everything was gone, and they were stranded. Glynda had no idea what she was supposed to do. She couldn't direct relief efforts as effectively as she would have liked, and every month, it seemed like the situation was growing worse.

At the rate things were going, Vale was going to become another Mountain Glenn. As much as it pained her to admit it, there was no denying these facts. Grimm attacks were relentless. The people were rioting and terrified. Their leader was dead. And there wasn't enough manpower or resources to completely restore what Vale had once been.

If only things they had discovered the mastermind behind the attack before the Vytal Festival. Then countless innocent lives would still be among them.

But what plagued her the most was how Cinder Fall had managed to infiltrate and pose as one of Leonardo Lionhart's students. He's usually cautious and runs a thorough background check on his students.

The fact that someone managed to sneak through those background checks was worrisome enough.

For now, though, she had to focus on relief efforts. She had to repair the buildings, but the Grimm were making things so damn difficult!

The western side of Vale was practically overrun. She could barely handle the number of Grimm here, even with the debris around to use as weapons. She was just about ready to call for reinforcements when she found aid in the form of a strange gentlemen in a pinstripe suit, cold red eyes, and gray hair. Accompanying him was a burly man with dark hair and wearing a long dark coat, and on his right arm was a bronze gauntlet that cackled with electricity. Far behind was a rather average looking man with snow-white hair and a dark hoodie.

"So, these are Grimm." the gentlemen hummed. "Not exactly pleasant to look at, are they?"

The burly man nodded. "Indeed. But they reek of malevolence. The same as the foes we're used to dealing with. Still, their features are unique. Perhaps we can attempt to capture one for studying?"

Glynda balked at that. What madness was this man speaking of? Moreover, didn't they realize they were in danger?! "What are you doing?! This area is dangerous!"

"We're well aware of that." the gentleman brushed her off, causing Glynda to fume. "Master, please hang back." The white-haired teen nodded and stepped away from a safe distance. The gentleman then gave a cold smile as he approached, drawing the blade sitting at his waist. The burly man raised his gauntlet-clad fist, thunder burning in his grasp. "Shall we create a symphony of despair, Tesla?"

"Feel free to do so, Salieri. I, on the other hand, shall bring forth the wrath of Zeus onto these creatures!"

Glynda was about to try and stop the fools, but they moved. And when said moved, they moved. Far faster than anything a human, Semblance or no, should have been capable of. Especially the man in the suit, who struck the first blow and cleaved the head of a Beowolf from its shoulders in such a fluid motion that she could see the dancing stream of silver that flowed with the blade. The strike caught the rest of the Grimm off guard, but they were quick to recover and attempt to fight their new prey.

The second strike came from the burly man, who raised his gauntlet and let loose with a torrent of electricity. The control and precision was impressive, for a single bolt had incinerated and electrified over four Grimm alone.

The suited man followed up after his companion by dashing in and skewering the heads of Beowolves with precision and grace she had never seen before. It didn't even look as if he were swinging a blade. It looked more like he was dancing while waving his sword around like it were an instrument. She could even faintly hear music ringing in her ears, a low foreboding melody that singed the deaths of the Grimm. Just as an Ursa tried to rush him from behind, a bolt of lightning struck and vaporized it. The suited man then twirled and decapitated another nearby.

Glynda had to rescind her previous thoughts. This was no battle. This was a one-sided slaughter. All the while, she watched with her mouth open. She noticed the white-haired man just watching, not the least bit bothered than he may as well have been in the danger zone. Utterly unconcerned and calm.

Just who in the hell were these people?!

* * *

After she had finished up on her side, Gudako decided she could be a little more thorough and began sweeping other parts of Vale for Grimm activity. Mozart was boisterous in his antics, but he alone proved to be enough to deal with the incoming threats of the Grimm. Edison had expressed a vast interest in them and wondered if it was possible to capture one for live study. To which the girl answered they could attempt to capture one, but she really had no idea how things would go.

As she drew closer to the Tower, she began to notice that Grimm activity was more prominent. Almost as if they were drawn to the statue that sat on top of the tower. But now that she got a closer look at it, was it truly a statue? She noticed that despite it being the shape of a Wyvern, it had eerily similar features to the other Grimm they encountered.

And why would they be acting like they were drawn to it if it were a simple statue? Her instinct screamed at her that there was more to this.

"Master, shouldn't we contact Kadoc and let him know we've gone and above what we were supposed to do?" Mozart reminded her. "We have wiped out the majority of Grimm in the area. By now, their numbers should have dwindled by a large margin."

"I know, but this is seriously weird." Gudako said as she looked at the tower. "Why is that statue there? Why do the Grimm seem to congregate here? What even is this tower, anyway? It looks really sophisticated."

"From what we've gathered from the locals, it's the CCT tower." Edison rubbed his chin. "A communications tower, but it was destroyed during the Grimm invasion months back."

Gudako eyed the lion-headed Caster. "...I know that tone. You want to take a look at it, don't you?"

"Yes I do." Edison's eyes gleamed. "I want to see how it works. How it functions! If there are any similarities between this technology and ours."

Gudako sighed. Ever the technological nut. Tesla and the other tech headed Servants weren't much better. "Just...don't do anything that could get attention to us, more than we already have?" she quietly begged. "And wait until we kill more Grimm."

"Alright, fine."the caster sighed in disappointment as he grabbed another ambushing Beowulf by the muzzle and crushed its head.

Mozart cackled. "Scolded by Gudako-sama. How envious~"

"Oh, hush, you musician!"

* * *

Da Vinci blinked. Once, twice. She looked at the little girl sitting in front of her, then at Atalanta and Cu Chulainn Alter. "Alright. I'll bite. Who and what is she? And where in the divine hell did you find her?"

"We were hoping you'd have an answer, Caster." the Berserker Servant huffed.

"Just because I'm a genius doesn't mean I'm omniscient." Leona retorted.

"Well, Beserker And I found her amidst Chaldeas halls. We detected a foreign presence and went to investigate, and found her instead." Atalanta said. "She isn't a Servant, we can say that much. She isn't even human herself."

The girl frowned and shot a small glare at Atalanta. "Look who's talking."

"Well, she's got a point there. We really have no room to talk." Holmes pointed out as he studied the girl. "So you can't remember your name, is that correct?" She nodded. "Can you recall anything? Anything at all? Perhaps how you found your way aboard Chaldea?"

"I don't know." The girl shook her head. "Everything is hazy..."

"Hm, I see..."

"Can we even trust anything she says?" Cu Alter asked with narrowed eyes. "She appears when we've been thrown into unknown territory, inside Chaldeas, and conveniently has amnesia?"

Atalanta glared at him. "Enough, Cu Chulainn! Now is hardly the time. Things are tense enough as it is."

"I'm just pointing out that she could be a threat."

The girl sighed. "Annoying." she said, directing it right at the Servant. "Talks too much."

The Berserker glared at the girl while Da Vinci tried to stifle a laugh and Holmes hid a smirk. Even Atalanta was amused before she noticed the various instruments that were scanning the three objects that had been presented to the Masters earlier today. The tiara and scepter had been moved aside, most likely having been scanned while the machinery was focused solely on the mysterious box. "What are you working on?"

"Hm? Oh, yes. These." Da Vinci smiled pleasantly. "We scanned and learned all that we could about those two items on the table over there. They're definitely catalysts, but they're not for any recorded Heroic Spirit. My best guess is that, we're possibly looking at catalysts that belong to Heroic Spirits belong to this world."

"This world?" Cu alter questioned. "Is that even possible?"

Holmes nodded. "Yes. It could very well be possible that Chaldea's presence here may have opened up a pathway of sorts to the Throne of Heroes for this world. Of course, it's merely a hypothesis at the moment. We will have to test the waters first, but we've concluded that SHEBA and the Servant Summoning mechanisms are all undamaged. We will experience no problems in summoning Heroic Spirits."

"As for the black box, we're still in the middle of examining it." Da Vinci continued. "It's proven to be quite difficult. The material isn't known to any man-made materials. In fact, it's design is very similar to the architecture belonging to the Temple of Salomon." This surprised the two servants. They haven't thought about that particular singularity for many, many months. Not since Romani Archaman's Heroic Sacrifice to defeat Goetia.

"You're...you are certain of this?" The Archer asked. "But I thought not a trace of the Singularity was left after its collapse."

Holmes nodded strongly. "Yes. As to what is inside, we have no idea."

The machines suddenly let out a blip and pulled away. On cue, the box suddenly developed glowing blue circuits and let out a hiss, a portion of it opening up. "Until now!" Da Vinci grinned madly as she skipped over. "Now, let's what's inside this beauty..."

She gently pried the opening wider with eager eyes...

...only for her expression to fall into one of solemn shock.

Within the container at the very bottom sat a single item. A small band of gold.

More specifically...the Tenth Ring of Solomon.

* * *

"Thank you for all of your help." Glynda said gratefully, bowing deeply before the two gentlemen in front of her. They had introduced themselves as Salieri and Tesla, while the young man was named Kadoc. The latter of which was observing the area while she spoke with the two men. In the background, the citizens that had been arguing with the guards were frantically moving in the hopes of finding their loves ones or to see if their homes had survived the damage done. "This is the first time we've managed to reduce the number of Grimm that found their way into Vale in a very long time."

"It's the least we could do." Sallieri answered smoothly. "However, if I may ask, why are the Grimm attracted to this city? Is something drawing them here?"

"Yes. That." She pointed to the frozen Wyvern that sat atop the ruined remains of Beacon Tower. "When that creature appeared, the Grimm began to appear in droves. Even now, when reduced to little more than a statue, it continues to attract the Grimm. Between restoration and relief efforts and Grimm removal, we've had little success in rebuilding our barriers."

Tesla rubbed his chin. "I see... Have you made any efforts to destroy it?"

"No. As I said, we've been busy with our current agenda. The protection of the citizens comes first."

"But it seems like a slippery slope..." Salieri stated. "While you prioritize the safety of citizens, and if you lack manpower as you say, then you are facing a never ending duty as long as that Dragon exists."

"Perhaps, but we have no other alternative. Not since the CCT went down. And we can't contact the other Kingdoms for aid, either. Especially when I've begun hearing word of how Atlas has begun to bar itself off from the rest of the world."

While the Huntress was speaking with the two Servants, Kadoc was observing the current state of affairs and taking in all the information he could. Every second, they were learning more and more about this world. So far, technology seems to be more advanced than their human history, but not everything was the same. He noticed that there were humans with animal-like features, such as cat/dog ears, scales or tails. 'And whatever has happened in this world, it occurred recently.' he noted idly, grasping the situation by examining the damages. 'Must have been several months ago. Just what are these Creature of Grimm?'

Whatever they were, they were not a natural existence. Just then, his communicator went off. "Hello?"

"H-hey, Kadoc." Gudako said shakily. "Um, do you think you can help me out? I, uh, kind of ran into a problem."

His eyes narrowed. "Grimm?"

"Worse." In the background, an angry shout, followed by several profanities best left not repeated, could be heard. "Edison."

* * *

 _"WHO IN BLAZES THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO DESIGN THIS SYSTEM?!"_

The inventor of the light bulb roared with sheer rage. After killing the Grimm in the area, Gudako allowed Edison to investigate the CCT building, much to his delight. However, it did not last long as he learned of the true function behind the tower itself.

While the towers had allowed widespread communication amongst the Kingdoms, as he learned through whatever data was left stored, they had a seriously stupid design flaw. One that Edison made quite clear in his harsh and profane criticisms towards the designers of such a thing.

If a single one of the towers, just one, out of he Kingdoms went out of commission, then all communication and information transmission would cease. Not even if the other towers were still functional.

Suffice to say, Edison was absolutely pissed.

Now, don't get him wrong, he could understand the underlying message on reliance on others and connections, but that was just meaning! Technology, while having meaning in some levels, did not mean it had to follow them! He wanted to strangle whoever thought up of such glaringly obvious flaws. No, more than that, he wanted to sic the worst Berserker on them possible, then have Nightingale fix them, just so he could repeat the process. His rant continued while Gudako watched with a sweat drop. Even Mozart seemed off-put by the wretched screaming. "I don't think I've seen him this furious since that time he lost a contest with Tesla and Charles." she said, intimidated. "In fact, I don't think I've ever seen him this furious before."

"Whoever designed the system he's looking at must have really ticked him off something fierce." Mozart commented before he felt the oncoming presence of their fellows. "Ah! They're here at last."

"What's with all the commotion?" Kadoc asked as they appeared within sight. "For Pete's sake, you can hear Edison's ravings from all the way near the border."

Tesla huffed. "Probably angry at someone who is most likely a superior inventor than him."

Edison halted his rantings, having heard Tesla's remarked, then whirled around to face his rival. _"THERE IS NOTHING SUPERIOR ABOUT THIS DRIVEL! IT IS AN INSULT TO ALL CREATIVE MINDS! EVEN A CHILD WITH A MEASLY 50 IQ COULD HAVE DESIGNED SOMETHING BETTER THAN THIS! COME, TESLA! LOOK AT THIS DISGRACE UPON MODERN TECHNOLOGY!"_

"Must you shout and draw attention to yourself?!" Tesla scowled. "For heaven's sake, you're even out of Astral form! Admittedly, we've seen men and women with beastly features, but I've yet to see a man with an animal's head on their shoulders!"

The Caster-class Servant growled. "Just shut up and look at this!"

"Fine! I do not see why you're so upset...about..." the inventor of the Tesla Coil trailed for as he took a closer look at the machine.

Several seconds of silence passed before he exploded into rage, arcs of lightning shooting off his form. _"WHAT IS THIS PUTRID, DISGUSTING INSULT TO INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY?!"_

Gudako and Kadoc sighed together while Salieri and Mozart watched with some amusement. "How much do you wish to bet that soon the rest of the inventors and technicians at Chaldea will soon learn of this?"

"No bet, Mozart." Salieri scoffed as he waved a hand. "They will hear of this. And when they do, I can only imagine what comes next."

"Probably invade Vale and then rebuild this thing from scratch and improve whatever's wrong with it." Gudako hazarded a guess. "Honestly, I don't get tech stuff much." Her communicator buzzed. Immediately, she answered. "Yello, this is Fujimaru Gudako-chan! How may I help you, Ritsuka-nii-chan?" Seconds went by, her face frozen before it devolved into a look of stunned silence. "...um, I'm sorry. Do you think you could repeat that?"

* * *

Hours earlier, before the two inventors had discovered the CCT tower, Ritsuka had been with Ophelia and Mashu as they watched over her in the medical wing. The black-haired Master had not left her side the entire time she had fallen unconscious, yet she still showed no signs of waking up. Her vitals were in the green, and they checked her to see if there was anything wrong, but they found nothing. He was worried about reliving another Temple of Salomon incident. He nearly lost her, and then again when Galahad had left them as part of his test.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, Ritsuka-kun." Ophelia told him, reassuringly squeezing his shoulder. "Just give her some time."

Nightingale nodded in agreement. "I agree with Ophelia. You two have been throw so much already. I doubt whatever's happened to her now is hardly anything to worry over."

"Sorry, but I can't not worry." Ritsuka confessed. "I mean, we were finally about to go back home, and now all of this happens. I'm just...worried, I guess. Whenever we get ourselves thrown into situations like these, I can't help but think back to when Mashu died. If it weren't for Fou..."

"You won't lose her again." the nurse told him with a smile. "Trust in Mashu. Actually, speaking of our little Primate Murder, where is the little fluffball? I haven't seen him at all the whole time Chaldea got transported to this new world."

"I don't know. But I'm sure he's around here somewhere." the older Fujimaru sibling said with a sheepish grin. Even when he lost all of his newfound power, Fou never really strayed far from him or Mashu.

Mashu told him that he told her that once he used his power to revive her, he would be reduced to a mindless animal. But that was discovered to not be the case. A mindless animal wouldn't behave like Fou had during the Remnants and Lostbelts. He stuck by their side and acted like he normally did when he had his power. Ritsuka and Mashu believed that Fou never lost his intellect, despite his newfound weakness. And they appreciated that small miracle, as their fluffy friend is still alongside them.

However, he was worried that he hadn't seen him in a while.

Of course, he would later learn his fears were thankfully unfounded, as the little critter had taken a shine to their new guest, who he would meet shortly.

As Nightingale went to go grab something from the cupboard, the PA system suddenly cackled to life. "Would Master Ritsuka Fujimaru please come to the FATE Room? I repeat, would Master Ritsuka Fujimaru come to the FATE Room?"

"FATE Room?" Ophelia questioned with a small look of curiosity. "Why there?"

"Maybe Da Vinci-san managed to work everything out and wants to make sure the Servant Summoning process is still functional." Ritsuka offered. "Take care of Mashu, will you, Ophelia-san?"

"Of course."

* * *

Silence lingered in the FATE room. It's only occupants were Da Vinci, Holmes, Gudako, Kadoc, And Ritsuka, But not a single person said a word. That is, until the 48th Master found the will to speak.

"I'm sorry...but what?"

"You heard me." Da Vinci said, her face completely and utterly devoid of the jovial jokes and cheery behavior they had all come to expect. Her mouth was set in a thin line, and her eyes were steely. "I said, we found a way to summon the Caster-class Servant, Solomon."

Gudako blinked once. Twice, then three times. "...okay, so we didn't mishear things." she said. Then her face turned comical. "WHAT?! How?! Didn't Romani erase himself to get rid of Beast I?!"

"That he did." Holmes nodded grimly. "And thanks to the effect of his Noble Phantasm, all records of his existence are effectively wiped clean. As far as history and the Throne of Heroes is concerned, the King of Magecraft no longer exists. Time, however, is another story entirely." He held out his hand, revealing a golden ring to the group. Kadoc didn't recognize it, but the two siblings did and promptly gasped. "This is one of Solomon's rings. In other words, the only trace of his existence."

"B-but how...?" Ritsuka whispered, shaken. "How is this even possible? Where did you even find this?!"

"It was inside the mystery box." Da Vinci answered. "When we finally cracked the lock, this was at the bottom."

"But...but how can we even summon him? Even with the ring, wouldn't it be useless since he's not in the Throne anymore?" Gudako asked.

Kadoc nodded, equally confused by their statements. "If he's been erased from the Throne, how would there still be a Servant capable of serving as his vessel?"

"Because any and all traces of Solomon have been erased from history." Holmes replied coolly. "However, time has disagreed. The existence of Solomon's ring is proof of this. There is a trace of existence of Solomon. And therefore, in the eyes of history, there was once a man known as King Solomon."

"I think I understand..." Kadoc nodded. "After the events of the Temple of Salomon, thanks to Ars Nova, Solomon erased all traces of his existence from the world. But if even so much as a shred of his legend is still present, then..."

"Then theoretically, he can still be summoned!" Da Vinci smiled widely to the point where it looked like her face would snap in half. "And we just so happen to have two Masters who happen to make the impossible possible!"

"LETS DO IT!" Gudako announced with no hesitation. "It's time to get Roman back! I still owe him a kick to the balls!"

Ritsuka sighed and face-palmed. Really, why did his sister have to be so hotblooded at times? Then again, he couldn't blame her.

Not when it meant they could get Romani back. After so long. "Alright, then." Ritsuka nodded. "Guess it's time for a reunion."

"Splendid!" Da Vinci clapped her hands. "And before I forget, I have the other two catalysts here!" Holmes handed Gudako Solomon's ring, Kadoc the scepter, and Ritsuka the tiara. "For the record, assuming my hypothesis about these babies summoning Heroic Spirits native to this world is correct, we might have to help them adjust. Our little abode is hardly normal, after all."

Kadoc nodded. "Understood." he said before he closed his eyes. "By the way... May I ask something?"

"What is it, Kadoc-chan?"

"Who is that girl standing over there, and why is Primate Murder sitting on top of her head?"

The group turned to the sight of the little, unknown girl playing with the fluffy and adorable critter on her cranium. "I wanted to ask that too." Gudako voiced her opinion while also trying her damndest not to run up to the girl and glomp her. Really, how adorable could this girl be?! She might even beat the little ones in cuteness! "Who is she?"

"We have no idea." Da Vinci sighed. "She's not human, but she isn't a Servant, either. Perhaps she's a native of this world, or something. She also has amnesia, or so she claims. Fou's taken an instant liking to her, though, so that should tell you something."

That put Ritsuka at ease. He learned that Fou never approached anyone unless he was genuinely interested in them, such as the case with him and Mashu. And from the look of things, he likes the new girl as well.

"So she doesn't remember anything, huh?" Gudako said sadly. "I hope she'll be okay..."

"I'm sure she will be." Da Vinci grinned. "Now, let's get this show on the road, people! Time for a triple Summoning! No Gacha or Quartz required!"

"Wait, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh, nothing! Now hurry up and step into the circle and place the catalysts on the pedastal! It's showtime~!"

Before any of the masters could voice their part, Da Vinci pushed them all towards the summoning circle. The floor beneath their feet glowed with intense brightness as the system registered the catalysts in their hands. Kadoc grimaced at the forceful shove, but otherwise complied with the others. "Let's get this over with." he said to his fellow Masters as they set the catalysts on the pedestal Da Vinci directed them to. When they pulled their hands back, the catalysts became wreathed in an ephemeral glow before they were suddenly broken down into tiny wisps of light. As they stepped back, the Command Seals on the backs of their hands began to glow red.

Ritsuka sucked in a breath as he raised his hand, closing his eyes and speaking the chant that would call forth a Heroic Spirit unknown to him. One who sacrificed their life, in the hopes of carving the way for a better future.

 _"Let silver and steel be the essence._  
 _Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation._  
 _Let red be the color I pay tribute to._  
 _Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall."_

Gudako followed, recalling her fond memories of Romani. She gripped her wrist tightly as she called forward the Heroic Spirit that history had forgotten.

 _"Let the four cardinal gates close._  
 _Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate."_  
 _Let it be filled. Again. Again. Again. Again._  
 _Let it be filled fivefold for every turn, simply breaking asunder with every filling."_

Kadoc did not look away as power began to fill the air. His hand was steady, as was his resolve to summon a Heroic Spirit who's ironclad will and resolve was loved by all, even by the Gods.

 _"I shall declare here. Your body shall serve under me. My fate shall be with your sword. My resolve shall become your destiny. If you will answer to this will and this reason, then answer!_  
 _An oath shall be sworn here! I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven. I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell!"_

Together, the three spoke as one:

 _"From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power, come forth from the ring of restraint, Protector of the Balance!"_

The air exploded, and light shined before them, giving birth to three new Servants: one that had been lost to Chaldea, and two that had made their mark upon this World...

* * *

In the remote regions of Anima, a young farm hand suddenly paused, feeling a jolt run down his spine. Confused, he looked around the barn for the source, but found nothing. He scratched the back of his neck. "What was that...?"

"Oscar! Dinner's ready!"

* * *

In the middle of a dense forest, a blonde young man with blue eyes suddenly stopped in his tracks as a cold breeze, accompanied by orange-red leaves, blew past. Despite the cold air, there was an odd warmth to it. Familiar, almost.

"Jaune?" someone called ahead of him. "Is something wrong?"

"No." Jaune replied. "Nothing..."

* * *

While the Servant Summoning took place, however, there was an even greater change taking place. It came so suddenly, and out of nowhere, that nobody knew what was happening.

Ruby Rose first noticed it as she was making a trek back to her friends: the remains of Team JNPR. She had just finished scouting the area for any possible threat of Grimm when she made her way back, all the while thinking about how much the scenery reminded her of the Emerald Forest. The sight of fond remembrance was enough to remind her of her own loneliness as well, for such memories also brought forth memories of Initiation. Of the founding of team RWBY.

Her friends...her family. Her team that stuck by one another through thick and thin, even if it barely even been a school year together. But such memories came to an abrupt end at the Battle of Beacon. They were overwhelmed and outmatched. They were manipulated by a single woman who posed as a friend. Because of their naïveté, more friends were lost that night.

In the end...the villains won and Beacon fell.

But she refused to let it end. That was why she went together with Jaune, Nora and Ren. They had to warn the other Kingdoms. Or at the very least, find someone who'd be willing to listen or have a plan to help the people in Vale. It took a long while, but they finally reached Anima. Problem now was getting to Haven Academy, which was going to be a three-month long trip on foot alone.

Even so, she was willing to brave the risks. At times like this, however, she sorely missed the girls. She missed Yang's stupid puns and teasing. She missed Weiss' snooty attitude when she wanted to fall back into her Ice Queen mode. She missed Blake's quietness and her love of books. As much fun as it was to be around Team JNR, it just wasn't the same without her friends.

Realizing where her thoughts were heading, Ruby sighed. "C'mon, girl. Get it together." she told herself in an attempt to cheer herself up. "Just think of it as a camp excursion. A really, really long camp excursion..."

Even as she tried to cheer herself up, her words had a rather empty effect. But she refused to give into despair. Otherwise she would be giving up and letting down her friends.

If only she had done something, anything more, then maybe Penny and Pyrrha would still be alive.

She grimaced at the horrible memories and pushed them away.

Drat, if she didn't do something soon, she'd get depressed again. Maybe something on her Scroll could help her pass the time. She pulled it out from her pouch and opened it up, only to pause when she looked at the upper corner of the screen. Since Beacon Tower went down, communications had all but gone dark, with only the local wifi providing any sort of communication. Of course, local and global were two different things.

And yet Ruby found that she had a full bar. And the listing said she was on a global network. And she had over 50 messages in her inbox. "Huh?" She cocked her head, utterly confused. Was her Scroll malfunctioning. She opened up her inbox, then gasped. A majority of the messages were all from her dad. Well over a day after she left Patch. "But...I was out of range when I should have gotten these messages."

By the time she stepped beyond Vale's borders, she should've stopped receiving messages as far as Patch. Without the CCT, there was no way she could've gotten any of them. But the proof was right before her eyes, which continued to widen as a smile was slowly growing.

That could only mean one thing. The CCT system was back up and running!

But, but how was that possible? Had it finally been repaired? In that case, whoever was busting their nuts trying to get it fixed was the coolest person ever!

With this, they could get into contact with someone from Haven a lot quicker. Hell, they might even be able to get in touch with the Headmaster! Then another thought crossed her mind and her smile threaten to snap her face in half.

She had a call to make!

* * *

Weiss had forgotten why she hated home during her time at Beacon. It was cold, dreary and lonely. As she walked the halls, she glanced outside to find a white-haired woman out in the garden, sitting at a table with a wine bottle sitting next to her. Her face softened and she sighed, shaking her head before she continued on her way back to her room.

The Schnee manor was so empty. Even more so, since she had not seen neither hide nor hair of her dearest brother since she returned. Apparently, he was out with a friend of their father, learning the business trade as she expected. Unlike Winter who preferred military life or herself who liked the path of the huntress, Whitley Schnee took after Jacques and wanted to learn the way of the business man.

Speaking of her father, no sooner had she returned to the Schnee manor had the man left on an important business deal. Typical of him, really. She knew full well that he only came to pick her up personally in order to appeal to the press. Nothing but a PR stunt.

Dammit, she already wanted to know what booze tasted like. She was seriously considering having a drink with her mother at this point. Now she understood why she took up drinking. Who wouldn't after learning that the man you married was nothing more than a deplorable opportunist who merely wanted the family company rather your heart?

She didn't care if she was under aged, she was seriously tempted by a drink about now.

At times like these...she really wished that Jacques would just disappear off the face of the planet.

She missed her friends even more.

The memory of their separation is one of heartache for her. She wanted to stay behind, but her father had put his foot down. She didn't even get the chance to say goodbye to her team. Not Ruby, who was out like a light sometime after the battle for beacon. Not Blake, who left. Not even Yang, who ended up losing an arm because of the White Fang.

Just thinking about it made her frustrated. Her true and only friends...and she didn't even get to say goodbye. Before she could continue to lament, her scroll started to ring. Annoyed and presumed it was just another call from her father, she almost hung up until she saw the caller ID.

Ruby Rose.

"What's that dolt doing in Atlas?" she questioned in disbelief. The only way she could be receiving the call would be if she was in the Kingdom. Did she decide to come visit her? Or stage some kind of elaborate jail break? Knowing her leader, it was probably the latter. Not that she wouldn't appreciate the gesture. Lord only knows she could stay in this damned house another minute before she went nuts.

Her finger tapped the call button, and connected with Ruby's Scroll.

* * *

Getting out of Vale when things had gotten hairy was difficult. Blake, however, was no stranger to difficult getaways. The getaway from Forever Fall after ditching the White Fang was difficult, but comparing it to her current situation, things just seemed so much easier.

After the events in Beacon, she couldn't afford to stay there. Not anymore. Not when she knew the White Fang was hunting her. Gods, even now, she could still remember Adam's voice, just haunting her ears. Some days, she could swear the man was right there, even though she knew it was just her mind playing tricks on her.

If the White Fang was after her, she figured the best place to go was Menagerie. Her old home. Even they wouldn't dare try and attack her in their homeland. The problem was just getting there. She had to pass through the southern coast of Anima before she could reach her old home, and the trip alone, even when factoring a Bullhead ride, was two months. The ride to Menagerie wasn't that long by air or sea, it was usually a few days. The problem was the trek getting to a port where she could find a ride available. And given how the CCT network went down after Beacon Tower was destroyed, communications were scarce.

She could barely get a signal unless she was close to a local network point.

Blake found herself looking over her shoulder more often than not while trekking through the woods. She didn't want to keep to close to the main road, nor get comfortable in villages she came across. It helped save her Lien that way. But even so, she was starting to get paranoid. She could swear, there was someone following her. White Fang, no doubt.

But she knew it was her mind playing tricks. If Yang could see her now, she'd probably laugh.

"Yang..."

She hadn't seen her partner since she left Vale. Hell...she never even said goodbye. She just turned tail and ran...just like she always did...

She could justify what she did however she liked, but the darker part of her mind told her she did it because she was a coward who couldn't stand up to Adam. Not now. And not ever.

Blake closed her heads and sucked in a breath, holding it before she exhaled deeply, trying to ease the tension. She just needed to find a port. Then she could get away from the Fang. Or at the very least, out from their radar. After pushing through the forest for about a minute, she felt her Scroll ring in her pocket. "What?" Scrunching her brow, she took out her Scroll. "I actually have a signal out here? ...wait. Global connection? What?"

This shouldn't be possible. With the Vale CCT down, she shouldn't even have a signal. Unless...did they actually fix it?!

Before she could ponder any further, her scroll shook and beeped from a plethora of messages in her inbox.

There were over a hundred messages. The majority of which were from...Sun. Blake rolled her eyes. Of course. Honestly, maybe there was a bit of stalker in him. Her heart clenched, however, when she saw messages from Ruby and Weiss also. Not a single message from Yang, however. Not that she blamed her. She even saw messages from her parents too.

Her Scroll beeped again. This time, she was getting a call.

From her team leader, Ruby Rose. Hesitantly, and sucking in a breath, she answered the call.

* * *

Yang sighed. Again. For the fifth time today.

"So boring..."

She rested her head against the back of the couch and stared at the ceiling...again.

In all honesty, that's all she had been doing for months. Sitting around doing nothing. Nothing but kept in her thoughts.

She did try to help around the house whenever her dad let her. But each time, she was reminded about the fact that she no longer had an arm to use. And each time she was reminded, she'd screw up somehow. Losing her grip on a broom, dropping glass. Taiyang, bless that man's soul, had been patient and even tried to get her to take breaks.

But that was just it. She was taking too many breaks, and it was driving her mad. She had to do something. She once attempted to practice on her old sandbag punching dummy, but she soon lost interest after about three minutes in. She just couldn't feel the same thrill or adrenaline in her body.

She just couldn't get into the rhythm anymore. Since she only had one arm to punch with now. With virtually nothing to keep her occupied, she had no idea what to do, besides, just think and lay on the couch like some kind of lazy bum.

She hated it. She just felt so...useless. She couldn't even do simple chores on her own. She lost a part of her that will never come back.

She grimaced, and decided to throw on the tube. Maybe there was something good on the tube.

When the screen came on, however, it simply played another news report regarding the aftermath of the Battle of Beacon, even when it happened months ago. The same old news she had seen for weeks now. They even did a special on Adam Taurus, the bastard who cut off her arm. She really didn't want to see his face right now, masked or no. She was about to change the channel when she saw the screen flicker and buzz out. "Shitty connection." she muttered in disappointment, noting how this had been happening ever since beacon Tower went down. It lasted for only a few seconds, however, before the news report showed something else. On the screen were familiar sights. the ruined remains of the City of Vale, but with relief efforts well underway. It was a bit heartening to hear that. At least some good in the world.

What she wasn't prepared for, however, was the black-and-gold tower that now sat in Beacon Tower's place. "What in the...?"

 ** _[As you can see, within the mere span of four hours, Beacon Tower has undergone what can only be called major renovations!_** ] Lisa Lavender said, her face a mix of shock and awe. _**[Reportedly, several individuals were seen working at the CCT, seemingly repairing it! Specialists have said that such incredible feats should have been impossible, yet we're already getting reports from all across Remnant once again, from Vacuo, to Mistral to even Atlas! We will do a full coverage about this miraculous incident, but for the time being, officials are trying to investigate the people responsible for bringing global communications back online!]**_

"Holy crap..." Yang whispered in awe. Four hours? All this was done in four hours? What the actual hell? Did they all have Ruby's speed semblance and a knack for engineering or something?

Wait. If global communications were back online...

She bounced off the couch, faster than she had been before in her life, and barreled into her room. On her desk, she found her Scroll virating. On it was a Caller ID.

Her adorable little sister. Ruby Rose.

She felt a flurry of emotions well up inside her. Joy. Anger. Relief. Shock. She didn't know how to react and stared at the name. Soon, she snapped out of it and accepted the call, her eyes red. She was just about ready to rip her sister a new one when the call came through. Then her jaw dropped.

"W-Weiss?! Blake?!"

The Schnee heiress choked. "Yang?! Blake?!"

"Y-Yang?" Blake whispered in shock. "Weiss?!"

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Ruby grinned like a maniac as she held up the "V" for victory sign. "Team RWBY is back in business!"

* * *

The light faded down, and before the Mastes of Chaldea, three new Servants stood before them, all kneeling before they raised their heads and stood. Gudako lowered her arm, then felt her eyes water while Da Vinci smiled, tears running down her face when she saw a white-haired man wearing regal robes in front of her. To the left side, a man with dark skin and dark brown hair, dressed in armor with a green tunic, scepter in hand, stood up and smiled. To the right, a red-haired woman bearing a sword and shield stood up, green eyes blazing.

"Servant Ruler has answered your summons." the dark-skinned man spoke, voice cool and dripping with charisma.

"Servant Caster has answered your summons." King Solomon greeted.

"Servant Lancer has answered your summons." the red-haired girl bowed her head.

Together, they spoke in unison: "We ask you. Are you our Masters?"

* * *

 _ **The Servants have gathered.**_

 _ **Now, the future rests in your hands.**_

 _ **I wonder what kind of path you will carve for yourselves, with the World as your guide...**_

Chapter: END


	3. Chapter 3

_Aaand I'm back with a brand new chapter! Sorry for the wait, everyone._

 _Now, I was supposed to update R-eset for my next update, but me and Daemon both decided, eh we'll skip it this time around and just dive into Chaldea in Remnant. Especially with how we left it off! That being said, you can expect a double update for Code Geass: R-eset._

 _Now, part of me is a little unsatisfied with this chapter, particularly regarding Team RWBY's conversation. You'll understand what exactly I mean when you read the chapter further. It just feels a little bit too forced. Like I'm a broken record, repeating crap over and over again when I should be expanding on details. It could just be me, though._

 _Let me know your thoughts in the reviews, yeah?_

 _Anyway, please enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

 ** _A new Door is open. New futures are created._**

 ** _But, which will bring about the ideal world they seek?_**

 ** _Choose wisely, Master._**

* * *

 **A Fate/Grand Order x RWBY Crossover:**

 ** _"Chaldea in Remnant"_**

* * *

 **Fate/03: A New Possibility, a New Future**

Glynda Goodwitch never thought she would ever walk the halls of Beacon, not after the events of the Fall so long ago. The school, surprisingly, was in good condition minus a few dilapidated hallways, destroyed classrooms filled with debris and collapsed walls. The Grimm were also surprisingly sparse, allowing her and her colleagues to deal with them easily. Peter had chosen to do clean up and hunt down any Grimm remaining in the building while Oobleck went to salvage whatever was left in the school that could be used. They now had the opportunity to start fresh. To remake the school, and hopefully, make a difference.

She passed the Arena and noted, somberly, that it would be a long while before she would ever have the opportunity to teach students again. Even more depressingly, she thought about the students who had left Beacon. Team CFVY had gone to pursue their education at Shade Academy in Vacuo. Last she heard, they were doing quite well for themselves. Team JNPR was...well, she wouldn't mince words. It was gone. Only three members left, and she had no idea where they had gone. Perhaps they had parted ways, or perhaps they were still together. Regardless of whatever happened, they were no longer whole. Not when Pyrrha Nikos had died, all because they had been so desperate to find someone who could handle Amber's power.

And Team RWBY...she already knew the news. It had all but broken up, just as Team STRQ had done. Blake Belladonna had vanished to parts unknown after the Fall. Yang Xiao Long was crippled and returned home to Patch. Weiss Schnee had been forced to return to Atlas. And Ruby Rose had also disappeared. Last she heard from her colleagues, who learned of the news from the girl's father, she had left for Mistral in the hopes of warning the Professor there that trouble may be brewing. And Glynda agreed with her. Whoever was responsible for this chaos would not stop here. They would surely target the other academies.

She hoped she would make it to Haven safely.

After revisiting sad and bittersweet memories alike, the combat instructor and Deputy Headmistress arrived at her destination. She stepped out from the elevator, the old thing still working despite the state of the school, and looked sadly at the room. It felt like she was entering a graveyard, with the eerie silence and depressing atmosphere akin to visiting the dead. She was so used to seeing him sitting behind that desk, a cup of hot chocolate in one hand and Scroll in the other.

It was barely touched at all in their absence. Everything remained as it was. A thin layer of dust had covered the items on the desk and the floor. Particles floated up from the air as she moved to the desk, leaving behind prints of her shoes in the process. Stopping short of the desk, she traced a finger along the top, leaving behind a line in the dust before she closed her eyes mournfully. A soft sigh escaped her before she opened her eyes again and moved around the desk, her hand pulling open a drawer. Inside the drawer was a small notebook. Flipping it open, she searched the pages, turning page after page before she found what she was looking for. Setting the notebook down, she pulled out her scroll and set it into the small console outfitted on the desk.

One of these days, she would really like to have a talk with the people who repaired the CCT. The network was working better than it had ever been before. Connection speed was almost instantaneous. Uploading took only a second. How all that could be possible within four hours, she had no idea, but regardless of the case, the people behind that miracle had given her hope.

And, maybe, a fighting chance.

She opened the scroll's keypad and typed in a few numbers. Seconds later, two large holographic screens hovered in the air, initially blank before two faces appeared. One was an aging man with frost-white hair, looking as if he had just been put through the wringer and hadn't had a decent night's sleep in months. The other was a familiar face, though it took her a moment to recognize him. He had developed a small stubble of facial hair the last time she had seen him, and there were dark rings beneath his eyes.

"Hello, gentlemen." Glynda greeted the faces of the Headmasters of Haven and Atlas Academy respectively. "It's been a while."

"...I heard the CCT Tower in Vale had somehow come back online, but I didn't dare believe it." James Ironwood said after a long period of silence, a ghost of a smile appearing. His eyes looked a little brighter. "It's good to see you again, Glynda."

"Indeed it has." Leonardo Lionheart nodded, though Glynda noticed there was something off about him. He seemed to shift uncomfortably in his seat. "It's good to hear your voices again."

"Indeed. If only it could've been under better circumstances." Glynda said solemnly.

The other two Headmasters nodded. Ever since the Fall of Beacon, the rest of the Kingdoms were gradually growing tense with each passing day. Sooner or later, a simple spark would light up the powder keg.

"Still, I'm amazed you were will able to reclaim Beacon Academy." Leonardo said. "Much less restore the CCT Tower in such a short amount of time."

"You'll have to thank the ones responsible, whoever they may be." Glynda told them. "Honestly, I'm amazed they were able to complete it in so little time. We were able to restore some parts of Vale, and with communications back online, Vacuo has already begun to lend us aid in restoring order. It won't be long before Vale, and eventually Beacon, is back to normal." She adjusted her glasses. "Of course, there is Grimm activity to consider, but so far this has been a major boost in moral."

"I can imagine." James nodded. "I would love to send you help also, but my time here in Atlas is demanding." The general grimaced as he shook his head. "Ever since that mess, Jacques has been pushing into the political circle and trying to enforce distribution limitations. He's obviously capitalizing on the situation. At this point, I'm seriously considering enacting a Dust embargo just to keep him in line."

Leonardo looked aghast. "You can't be serious! Do you realize how important Dust is?!"

"I said was I was _considering_ it, Leo." James rolled his eyes.

Glynda shook her head. It seemed James had his own fair share of problems. Of course, she had a feeling he wasn't telling her the whole story. "What about you, Leonardo?" she asked the Lion Faunus. "Is there any aid you can send us? Perhaps Huntsmen or workers?"

At the mention of 'Huntsmen,' Leonardo visibly flinched. "Th-that is..."

"Leonardo, what's the matter?" James inquired. "Surely you have some to spare? Out of the four Kingdoms, Mistral has the most active Huntsmen and Huntresses."

"T-there are, it's just..." Leonardo stumbled a bit before he sighed and let his face fall into his hands. "After that poor girl was ripped to shreds, and communications were shut down, negativity here spiked. The Grimm were more active than we've seen in years. A-and there were... _casualties_." Glynda gasped, a hand going to her mouth. James' eyes widened considerably. "Many of the teachers here were...KIA, as it were. I've sent the students and the rest of the teachers home until the storm settles."

"You left the school _undefended_?!" Glynda didn't know which spooked James more. The fact that lives had been lost in the chaos, or the fact that there was no one there to defend Haven, much less what Haven was supposed to be guarding. "Have you lost your mind?! Do you realize how important it is for the Relic to be-"

Leonardo cut him off, sounding more terrified than angry. "I'm fully aware, dammit, but what else was I supposed to do?! You are a soldier, you understand what it means to lose someone under your command, but I have never had to tell families that they're loved ones won't be coming home! I refuse to bury anymore friends!"

" _Enough_." Glynda put a stop to the argument before it could spiral out of control. "What's done is done. You may bicker all you want, but it's clear we're all facing our own crisis right now. For now, what's most important is ensuring the schools, the Kingdoms, and most importantly, the Relics are defended." She adjusted her glasses and leveled a stare at the two men. "The Relic here at Beacon is untouched, and we're already in the midst of rebuilding our defenses. Vacuo has also assured me that Shade and the Kingdom are the least affected by the events of the Vytal Festival." No doubt because hardship was no stranger to them. Conflict and hardship came hand in hand in that kingdom, and anyone who could survive there was a hardy combatant. More accurately, a survivor. "James. What about you?"

The General straightened himself out, standing tall and proudly as befitting a man of his position. "There's been some civil unrest, but with communications back online, I think the tension should die down a bit. It will take some time, though, especially given the circumstances. As for the school and the relic, rest assured, we're well defended. I've also made sure all my students and soldiers are prepared for whatever's to come."

"Excellent. And you, Leonardo?" The Faunus shrunk a bit beneath her gaze. It was like she was demanding him to promise her he could protect the school and the kingdom. With his life if he must. "Are you confident you can defend Haven Academy?"

"Well, I-"

"I said, _are you confidant_?"

"Y-yes." Glynda's eyes narrowed as she stared in scrutiny. She knew Leonardo had been a nervous man ever since they met, but never to this extent. Either the incident has left him more anxious than ever...or there is something else going on at his end. If-if that's all, there's a meeting I must attend with the Council." Leonardo said. "Since the CCT came back online, there have been numerous discussions about where to go next. Starting with relief work and reconstruction, I'd wager."

"Alright, then. It was good seeing you again, Leonardo." James said curtly. Leonardo nodded and his screen disappeared. His Scroll had disconnected from the call, leaving the two alone. James and Glynda both shared a look. "Tell me you didn't notice."

"Leo has always been a skittish man, but I've never seen him like that." she confessed. "Either the Fall left him more nervous than ever, or..."

The General narrowed his eyes. "He's hiding something." he finished. "Not to mention going against Ozpin's orders. I can understand where he's coming from, but telling EVERYONE to leave? Something isn't right. You don't think he's been compromised, do you?"

"I hope not." Glynda's face said it all. "Ruby Rose is on her way to Haven. She knows that the people behind the Fall won't stop with Beacon. They will attack again."

"They can try." James scoffed. "With network and communications back online, one of their major plans failed. If anything happens, keep me updated. I wasn't kidding about things being hectic over here."

"I will. And James?"

"Yes, Glynda?"

The woman smiled warmly. "It really is good to see you again."

* * *

Becoming a Servant was...well, to put it kindly, it was a very "odd" experience. By her own account, the last thing Pyrrha Nikos could remember before she found herself standing in Chaldea was that she had died. Crumbled into ashes and dust as it were. She should be dead, and yet here she was, standing proudly towards the people who called on her.

She couldn't exactly describe how she felt at this moment. At first, when she was being summoned, there was a state of confusion. It was like she was half-asleep and didn't understand what was happening. Then information was being uploaded into her brain. Things she didn't understand at first, but eventually understood. So many odd things that she never considered. Parallel worlds, alternate dimensions, gods, demons, heroes, villains, etc. So many new and wondrous things that she had never considered.

When she came to her senses and opened her eyes, seeing two other Servants standing to her side and in front of three people, all of whom bearing the red markings she recognized as the Command Seals that effectively acted as a leash, she understood that she had been resurrected. Well, as close as this could be considered to resurrection. The information she was provided told her that she wasn't actually here. She was still dead. She was just a fragment, placed inside of a vessel that suited her needs and abilities perfectly. Speaking of which, she could already feel power flowing through her body. Somehow, she felt...stronger. Her body felt lighter than it ever had been.

She didn't think it was a bad feeling.

Now, when Pyrrha found herself in Chaldea, she was expecting a lot of things. She expected to find other Servants here, each far more powerful than her and fully capable of laying her flat on the ground. That brought a sense of excitement. Finally, she was no longer the untouchable Invincible Girl from Mistral. She also expected there to be some kind of world-ending crisis, since based on the information she received, Chaldea's existence was to defend humankind.

What she did not expect, however, was for one of her Masters to walk up to one of the two Servants next to her, rear her leg back and-

A high-pitched wail echoed across the facility. Everyone who had something dangling between their legs suddenly shivered as a chill ran down their spine, and for some reason, held their hands over their crotch as if to defend it from some unseen foe.

Pyrrha blinked. "...what?"

"W...why...?" Solomon weakly asked, lying on the floor with his soul attempting to escape from his mouth.

"Because I swore if I saw you again, I was gonna kick you in the balls!" her Master fervently declared with pride, despite the fact that she was a sobbing mess. "And a Fujimaru always keeps their word!"

The red-haired Huntress tilted her head. Was it just her imagination, or did this girl remind her greatly of her teammate Nora? The other servant next to her stared in confusion as well.

The floored servant half laughed half croaked as he looked up to the orange haired Master. "Ha ha...still the same as ever...that's just like you, Gudako..."

The newly-named Gudako let out a 'hmph!' and turned her head to the side. The black-haired teen next to her gave an awkward laugh. "For what it's worth, Roman, I'm sorry."

"D-don't be... I deserved it."

"Oho, indeed you did!" the woman that had been standing off to the side said. Pyrrha knew instantly that she was a Servant. One that apparently shared the same hostility towards the white-haired Servant on the floor. She was smiling, but her eyes were like the arctic. "Just as you deserve every freaking punishment I can think of. I hope you're prepared, Romani!"

The downed man whimpered, clearly afraid of what was going to happen to him. The white-haired teen opposite to Pyrrha sighed and shook his head before he turned to address her. "For what it's worth, Lancer, welcome to Chaldea. I'm Kadoc. I guess I'll be your Master from now on."

"Ah!" Pyrrha bowed. "Hello! It's nice to meet you, Mr. Kadoc. Please, call me Pyrrha."

"Oh? True Name already?"

"Well, given that this is Chaldea, there's no reason for me to hide my identity? Am I wrong?" The Spartan girl questioned.

Kadoc rubbed his chin. "Well, you have a point there. Nice to meet you then, Pyrrha-san."

"Ah, I suppose I should introduce myself as well, then?" the other recently-summoned Servant said, bowing his head politely to Ritsuka. "As I said earlier, I am of the Ruler-class, though I would prefer it if you could call me by my real name, Ozma. It's an honor to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Ozma." Ritsuka smiled and shook hands with the Servant. "I'm Ritsuka Fujimaru. Welcome to Chaldea!"

* * *

Weiss stared at her Scroll, wondering whether or not she was dreaming. For several minutes, she tried to decide if she should reboot her Scroll in the event it was having a malfunction. But the more she looked, the more she realized she wasn't dreaming or her Scroll was malfunctioning. The smiling face of that dunce Ruby Rose, the shocked face of Yang Xiao Long and the stunned look of Blake Belladonna were real enough.

"...how?" she asked quietly. "How-how are you calling us? T-the CCT Tower in Vale was destroyed. This shouldn't be..."

"Aw, what's the matter, Weiss? Can't believe your awesomest team leader is calling you?" Ruby smirked. "Well, believe it!"

Automatically, Weiss' mouth moved. "Ruby, we've been over this. 'Awesomest' is not a word. And secondly, you still have some explaining to do! How is this even possible?!"

"I guess the CCT is back online?"

"But it was destroyed!"

"And it was fixed." Yang said, joining the conversation moments later. "Saw it on the news. Someone apparently fixed it in under four hours. Looks brand new."

Weiss felt her head starting to hurt. "Four hours?" Blake questioned in disbelief. "Is-is that even possible?"

"Apparently." Yang replied. "I couldn't believe it either. Whoever did it must've been some tech genius or something."

"But the CCT is a complex communication server! The damage done to it should've taken months to repair at best! Not hours!" Weiss argued.

Ruby groaned. "Come on, are we really going to argue about a tower?! Team RWBY's finally back together! ...okay, well not totally back together. We're, like, on different continents."

"Wait, you're not in Patch?" Weiss questioned. "Where even are you?"

"Mistral!" Ruby chirped, making Yang and Blake gawk while Weiss groaned and hanged her head low. "And I'm not alone, either! I'm with the rest of Team JNPR! And let me tell you, Nora is a HORRIBLE bed partner! This one time, we had to share a bed because they didn't have many spare rooms and I-"

"MISTRAL?!" Yang screamed into her scroll, causing no the rest of the team to jump. "You're halfway across the globe?! What were you thinking, Ruby?!"

Ruby cringed beneath the shout. She was expecting that to happen. What she wasn't expecting was for Yang to be so loud. Had she always had such big lungs? "What else was I supposed to do?" she countered with a frown. "Just wait around and let everything just solve itself? When's that going to happen? And besides, you saw what happened back at Vale! When the CCT went down, everywhere went dark! This is the first time anyone's gotten to know how bad things have gotten! And whoever attacked Beacon isn't just going to stop with Vale!"

"You don't know that!"

"Yang..." Weiss attempted to placate the fiery blonde. "While I don't quite agree with how Ruby handled this...she might have the right idea here. She wasn't kidding when she said things have gotten bad since communications went down. Do you want to know how many protests and criminal activities have been reported in the last week? And that's not the worst of it. Every day, I see airships hovering above the city, like they're expecting to go to war any second. People are terrified, because they have no idea if what happened back at the Vystal Festival is going to happen again."

"But that's...!"

"And even if nothing happened here in Atlas, what's to say that there isn't something else happening on some other part of the world? After all, the White Fang that attacked in Vale were never caught, were they, Blake?"

Their Faunus team mate shook her head. "Unfortunately...they're still at large."

"And think about what happens if another Fall of Beacon thing happens again!" Ruby argued with her sister. "You think they'll be prepared for that?"

"Oh, so you think you and Vomit Boy can change things by yourself?" Yang challenged.

It was clear that she had major reservations about this whole thing. Not that anyone blamed her. Ruby was more or less engaging in a one-man mission. The odds of success were low. Even so, Blake and Weiss were willing to have faith in her, if only because between the four of them, Ruby was the one with any actual freedom. Blake was still shaken after what happened at Beacon. Weiss was under the watchful eye of her father. And Yang? She had just given up. There was no more passion or drive in her to continue the path of the Huntress. When Adam had taken her arm that day, he took something else as well.

He took away her pride.

"Maybe not..." Ruby shook her head. She knew what her sister was getting at, but she was determined to see this through. The ferocity in those silver eyes said it all. "But at least I'm willing to try!"

"Dammit, Ruby, this isn't a game!"

"Yang, chill out. You're taking this a little far." Blake attempted to intervene. "I know Ruby's decisions are kind of questionable, but-"

"That's easy for you to say! You just ran like a _coward_!"

Weiss' hand went to her mouth, eyes wide in shock. Ruby gasped. It took ten seconds for Yang to realize what she had just said. The look of hurt and pain on Blake's face said it all. She said nothing in her defense. No comeback, no fiery rebuttal like when she was after Torchwick, nothing. She just turned her head and closed her eyes in resignation. Almost immediately, Yang's heart sank.

"B-Blake, I..."

" **Don't**."

Blake disconnected from the conversation a second later. Not too long after, Yang ended the call and let her Scroll dangle in her hand, head lowered, face twisted into frustration and sadness. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her head on top of them. "God dammit..."

Ruby looked at her Scroll in sadness. When she called everyone up, she was hoping that they would be in the fighting spirit. Instead, all she got were looks of disappointment and hurt. She should have seen the tension between Yang and Blake. She should have tried to take things slowly. But she was just so happy that she got overly excited. And now she realized just how bad the team was in.

"I don't understand..." she whispered in sorrow. "Where'd I go wrong?"

"You didn't do anything wrong, Ruby." Weiss consoled her. "I just think...that Team RWBY hasn't really healed since Beacon."

* * *

As he closed his eyes, Ozma could remember various things that he otherwise shouldn't remember. He could remember what happened after his death, traveling the world he no longer recognized. He remembered reuniting with Salem, now a woman that had become feared. He remembered the happy days they spent, in the guise of being worshiped as gods. He remembered the tension when he realized she was no longer the same woman he loved. He remembered the loss of their children and the day their bond was truly severed. He remembered his second death. He remembered his second reincarnation. And he remembered every waking moment of Ozpin's life, up to the day at Beacon Academy where he squared off against Cinder Fall.

Opening his eyes, Ozma felt only one thing: Pity. He pitied his present-day self for what become of him. There was no longer a trace of the man he used to be, so courageously and foolishly traveling the world to do good for some misguided purpose. He fully believed that he was fighting for the right cause. But Ozpin lacked that same desire and drive. They had long since faded. But Ozma wasn't sure what had broken him. Perhaps it had been his situation, forced to reincarnate into people who had no right to be involved in this mess. Perhaps it had been the fact that he and Salem could no longer reconcile. Or perhaps it was because of another reason he didn't understand.

Regardless, the newly-created Heroic Spirit hoped that one day the poor old man would find peace.

"So, Ozma, what do you think of Chaldea?"

Ozma's lips curled upwards. If he were to describe Ritsuka Fujimaru, this man who accomplished so much , and a traveler from another world to boot, it would be "different" and "charming." He was ordinary looking, and based on what he heard, he just barely qualified as a Master. But his skills and abilities made up for that. Somehow, there was this uncanny ability to draw out the best in even the worst of the people Ozma had been introduced to. That Gorgon woman being the prime example. And the funny part was that he wasn't even trying. It just came naturally to him.

It was a shame Ritsuka did not come to this world sooner. Ozma would have loved to have introduced him to Salem, back in those happy days.

"It is...unique." he said after a moment of thinking. "I must admit, you know some very interesting people."

Ritsuka laughed as he rubbed the back of his neck abashedly. "They're something, all right. A few can be a bit...hard to work with. There's one guy I haven't introduced to you yet. He's kind of troublesome, but he does mean well. Just don't get offended if he calls you mongrel."

"Ah! The pridefully arrogant type of person, then." Ozma nodded in understanding. "I'm used to those kinds of people. Heck, I made a living of taking on people like that!"

"Don't let Gilgamesh hear you say that. He might take it as a challenge. He has no meaning behind the phrase, hold back." the black-haired Master warned.

They then continued further into Chaldea. Eventually, Ozma arrived at what he assumed was the cafeteria. Just in time to barely avoid a watermelon hitting his face and watching it explode all across the wall. Ritsuka was not as fortunate, as a pie came smashing into his face and knocking him to the floor. Blinking owlishly, the tanned champion looked at the cafeteria and stared at the sight of multiple people either running for cover or throwing various food products.

"Nobu, you bitch!" a blonde cowboy kneeling behind an overturned table cursed the main perpetrator behind the mess. "The food fight isn't supposed to happen until the next weekend! You're screwing up the schedule!"

"Nonsense! This isn't a food _fight_! This is a food _war_!" a woman dressed in black and red cackled as she swung a bat, sending another watermelon into the air. It exploded in the face of a white-haired man wearing glasses, much to the man's obvious displeasure. "And a welcoming party to the new Servants!"

"Hey hey hey! Who threw that pie?!" a sun-kissed blonde man with an impressive set of muscles demanded as he wiped off the remains of said plate from his face. "So not golden, people!"

Ozma stared at the sight with a certain sense of wonder. When he received information about Chaldea, he expected to find heroes of incredible caliber and great character. Instead, what he found was a bizarre menagerie of weird characters. Oddly enough, he had seen such a scene before. It was from Ozpin's own memories, having dealt with a similar situation involving two groups of children. Oddly, the whole thing brought a strange smile to his face.

He had a feeling he was going to like Chaldea.

* * *

The first people Pyrrha met were the Roman Servants, who took a very quick liking to her within a few seconds, much to Kadoc's amusement.

It was something the white haired master should've expected. Given her form of attire. She fit right in with the bronze armored Servants of Roman origin.

Romulus had been most appreciative of her presence.

"Thank you for the compliment...?" Pyrrha tilted her head, unsure whether or not the burly man before her was praising her. She knew that Rome was once a grand civilization, but for this person to call her 'Rome' also was very odd. "But I'm not quite Roman. I'm Mistralian."

"Mistralian?" Nero tilted her head to the side, a hand to her chin. "Hm, if I recall correctly, isn't there a country called Mistral in this world?" Nero's eyes sparkled with newfound interest as she looked at Pyrrha. "Hoo~! Does this mean you're a Heroic Spirit native to this world, then?!"

"Yes. The same goes for Ozma, I think, though I'm not quite sure. I've never heard of anyone by that name." Pyrrha confessed. "To be honest, I know about your world thanks to the FATE system, but..."

Romulus raised a hand. "Say no more. Still, what fortune! For this world to possess it's own Rome! Haha! Nero, the first opportunity we have, we shall explore Mistral!"

"Umu! I couldn't agree more, esteemed founder!"

Kadoc rubbed his chin thoughtfully. So Pyrrha had knowledge of their world, but information about her own world's legends were a mystery? Was it because she had been summoned in Chaldea? Or was it because the FATE System only provided information based on historical records from their world and lacked information on Remnant? It was well worth considering. If she didn't know about Ozma, then perhaps Ozma was from a long time ago. With what they learned through the CCT's network and database, courtesy of the resident egghead Servants, much of Remnant's early history was lost in the Great War. It was possible that Ozma came from before that time.

While the white-haired master was deep in thought. Leonidas, who had been relatively silent throughout the conversation, sizing the red-haired woman up, suddenly spoke. "Nikos, was it?" he called out. The so-called Invincible Girl nodded her head. "How would you feel up for a spar?"

Kadoc snapped out of his thoughts immediately upon hearing that suggestion. "Huh?"

"Wait just a moment!" Caesar protested. "Isn't that asking a bit much?! She was only recently summoned! I sincerely doubt she wants to-"

"Actually..." Pyrrha smiled. It was very strange, as was the glint in her eyes. It was predatory, like she had just accepted a worthwhile challenge. "I would love that."

"A duel between one of the finest warriors of Sparta and our new Mistralian friend?" Nero exclaimed. "Umu! You cannot possibly leave out the Emperor of Roses from this! I wish to join the festivities as well!"

 _'Oh dear.'_ Kadoc thought as Romulus laughed boisterously, his own hands twitching. It was clear, by that act alone, that he too wished to test his might against Pyrrha Nikos. _'This can't be good.'_

* * *

There were few things that Solomon, formerly Romani Archaman, was terrified of. Among those few things was Leonardo da Vinci's boisterous experiments that tended to get him involved and blow up in his face. Another was incurring the wrath of Gudako Fujimaru, who was well-known in Chaldea for her signature Groin Kick Noble Phantasm. Capable of crippling even the hardiest of combatants. Once, she disabled even the mighty Gilgamesh when he dared to question her feminity. The golden bastard would never admit it, but to this day, he still dreads the fiery red-head whenever she approached.

What Solomon was most terrifed of, however, was being treated by Nightingale.

"No! No no no! Put that bone-saw away!"

"Nonsense! The bone-saw is a very important instrument in your recovery!"

"By cutting off my _genitals_?!"

Gudako could only stare, both in nostalgia and amusement, as Solomon desperately attempted to avoid a manic Nightingale, who was holding a bone-saw in one hand medical gauze in the other. It was like a game of cat and mouse, only the mouse was being cornered by a dangerous cat that couldn't decide whether it wanted to fix the mouse or kill it. And she wasn't the only one enjoying the show, either. Next to her was a girl with bubblegum-pink hair, wearing little more than bra and panties, showing off her flawless, slender body to anyone who might have seen it.

"I heard you managed to bring him back, but I wasn't expecting Nightingale to try and get her hands on him already." Medb commented as she slouched on Gudako, her arms wrapped around her. "Kicked him in the groin?"

"Kicked him in the groin." Gudako nodded before she gently pried herself out of Medb's arms. "Also, take a shower, please. You reek of sweat. And didn't Nightingale tell you to stop having sex in the medical wing?"

"But where else can I do my lovely sexy nurse roleplay?"

"In your room, maybe? Actually, wait. Who was your bed partner?"

"Who do you think?"

Gudako sighed. "Is Fergus at least decent half-way down?"

"He should be last I checked. But now? Who knows?" The Irish Queen shrugged.

Gudako groaned.

Medb was particularly infamous for her lustful behavior. On more than one occasion had Gudako, Ritsuka or perhaps even another Servant walked in on her doing the deed with several people, either Servants like herself or the staff at Chaldea. And being the fiend she was, she had sex on public areas. She seemed to have a particular fetish for the showers. Worse, anyone who caught her in the act was usually dragged along for the sweaty, yet pleasurable ride. Gudako and Ritsuka were able to escape her clutches, but Kadoc had to be pulled out by Anastasia before things went too far. Everyone had been repeatedly been trying to tell her to quit having sex in places she could easily be caught, but she usually turned her head the other way and made a false promise.

Before long, people just eventually gave up and let her do as she pleased. At this point, watching her being ravaged by several men and women at once, or usually Fergus when she was in desperate need of a room tossing, had accepted it as a common sight. Didn't make it any less uncomfortable or embarrassing to see, though.

"By the way, who's the kid?"

Ah. Gudako had nearly forgotten about her in all the excitement. The little girl, confirmed to be neither a human or a Heroic Spirit, stood off to the side, watching the comedic duo that was the Grand Caster and the Medic Berserker. Fou was lounging on top of her head, a gesture of affection and camaraderie he often shared with those only close to him. Gudako likened the girl to the bizarre woman she and her brother had met during the Lostbelt fiasco. She did not exude a "human" presence, nor possessed malevolent intent. In fact, Gudako wasn't sure what to make of her at all.

All she really knew was that she was too freaking adorable and had to restrain herself from glomping her.

"For the last time, Nightingale! I do. Not. Need. My. Penis. Cut. Off! Will you put the saw away and just give me an ice pack?!"

"I cannot. The broken part must be severed to prevent infection. Doing so will save the whole." She said with a straight face.

"IT'S NOT EVEN BROKEN! IT WAS JUST BRUISED!" Solomon cried as he dodged the Nurse again.

Medb quirked an eyebrow. "Really? Huh. You're losing your edge, Gudako."

"I know..." the master groaned. "I should've broken it with that kick. Guess Grand Servants are tougher than normal ones..."

Solomon stared at the woman in shock. "Y-you were actually trying to seriously injure me with that kick?! I get what I did was an asshole move, but come on!"

"Fou!" the white fuzzball atop the odd girl's head yipped. "Fou fou! Kyuuuu!"

The girl tilted her head. "Primate Murder says you deserve it."

"Wha- The heck?! I'm getting flack from a Beast too?!" Then he paused and realized what the girl said. "Wait, you can understand-GYAH!" He let out a cry as Nightingale took advantage of his shock and pounced, pinning him to the floor and prepared to administer her 'treatment.' Not long afterwards, Gudako, Medb, the odd girl and Fou had a front row seat to yet another comical moment involving the beloved Dr. Romani Arachman.

God how Gudako missed this.

* * *

When Taiyang returned home, he learned a few things. First, the CCT had come back online and he was finally able to talk with Ruby. Or at least he attempted to. She was either ignoring him or very busy, the latter of which seemed plausible since she was off adventuring in Anima. The second was that Yang had talked with Ruby and expressed her frustration and worry, albeit far more intensely than she should have. It was clear by the distraught look on her face that what should have been a happy conversation had instead turned into an argument. Finally, he learned that Yang was apparently quite the sulker. He had been home for maybe ten minutes, and she still looked like she was swallowing a lemon.

Initially, he had planned on giving her the prosthetic arm James Ironwood had commissioned for her - a reward for her bravery and role in defending Vale during its darkest hour, but she looked so miserable his fatherly instincts were taking over. The box laid unopened on the kitchen counter while he plopped himself down on the couch, sitting next to the currently sulking Yang.

"Leave me alone, dad." she mumbled, but made no attempt to push him away. "I'm not in the mood."

"Sorry, no can do." Taiyang said playfully. "I'm officially in Dad Mode, seeing you be so _blah_. Normally, I see you hopping the tube or trying to do housework, not sit on the couch like a bum. And I think I can hazard a guess." He rested his arms against his knees, keeping his tone gentle. "Was your talk with your friends really that bad?"

"It wasn't that. It was..." Yang frowned, trying to find the right words. When she realized she couldn't come up with anything, she sighed and shook her head. "Hey, Dad? When Team STRQ was still a think, did you ever get into fights or arguments or anything like that?"

"Oh, _all_ the time!" he said. "Mostly it was just Raven and Qrow arguing over little stuff, like what we should be doing for the day or go on adventures. We may have been one of the best, but we sure as hell weren't perfect. Everyone's got their own flaws, Firecracker."

"Even when you realize you were being a dick to your friend and you don't feel bad about it?"

Taiyang winced. "Oof. That bad?"

"It's just... No matter how much I think about it, this whole thing with Blake, it..." Yang scowled. "Ever since I met her, the only thing she's been doing is just run away! She ran away from the White Fang when she realized things were going to hell, that I can get. But when her past suddenly catches back up to her, what does she do? Just turn tail and run. When that Adam guy came and lopped off my arm, I didn't see Blake at all when I came to." She sunk her head lower into her legs. "If she just gave me something, like some explanation or a letter, or _something_ , maybe I'd get why she left. But she didn't! She didn't tell anyone anything. She just-"

"-she left you behind." Taiyang finished, silencing her. "Just like Raven." Yang bit her lip and nodded. She didn't understand why Blake's actions infuriated her so much, but Taiyang mentioning her mother made it click. She was projecting what her mother did on her. She knew it wasn't fair on Blake. She wasn't Raven Branwen. But Yang was hurt. It hurt, knowing that Blake had just left her without offering any explanation.

Yang sighed deeply and shook her head, looking far more miserable than she had been these last few months. "When I was arguing with Ruby and Blake butt in, I just... I screwed up. The worst part is that, every time I think I should feel bad or horrible about what I said, I don't." She looked up at her father, face marred with confusion. "Does...that make me a bad person?"

"...if you want my honest opinion, it doesn't." Taiyang shook his head. "I think your problem is that your not trying to understand things from Blake's point of view." Yang frowned at that. Understanding things from her point of view? What did that mean? "Yang, do you want to know what I think was the reason why Raven ran away after you were born?" She nodded. Taiyang took a slow, deep breath, then exhaled. "I think she ran away...because she was scared of having a normal life."

The blonde brawler blinked. She...was not expecting that kind of answer. "What do you mean by that?"

"You have to understand, Yang. Raven and Qrow didn't have a good childhood. The people who raised them, they were...well, they weren't good people. I don't know the whole story, but what I do know is that when Raven and Qrow came to Beacon, they weren't looking to make friends or help people. 'course, you wouldn't know that looking at Qrow now, bleeding heart that he is. Truth is, when we first met, Qrow was an asshole. The biggest jerk you could possibly meet. It took us months before we could get Qrow to smile, much less get him to admit he liked hanging around us. Raven, she was...well, even after she and I got together, she was still a work in progress."

The father smiled fondly as he took out his Scroll, fiddling with it before pulling up a picture. Yang looked at it and saw a woman who looked like an older version of her, skin pale and eyes red with black hair framing her face, looking down at a baby wrapped up in a bundle of cloth. It took her only a second to realize that the woman was her mother, and the baby was her.

"When Raven held you in her arms, she didn't know whether she wanted to hold you and never let go or give you away. Because she never experienced anything like that in her life." Taiyang said. "To her, having a normal life, settling down and being happy, it was...scary for her. I'm not trying to defend her or anything, mind you. Raven had several flaws. Some of them were the reason why the team went their separate ways."

"And this has to do with Blake, how...?"

"I'm saying, you should try and think about how Blake feels about running away." he suggested to her. "Try to think about things from her point of view. Someone from her past came along and chopped her friend's arm off, and she felt like it was her fault. That she couldn't have done a damn thing to stop it."

"But she shouldn't have to!" Yang argued. "I'm not some helpless little girl that needs saving!"

"Maybe, but the fact remains that, as far as Blake is concerned, she couldn't protect her partner - and more importantly her friend - when it mattered the most." Yang wanted to refute, but she couldn't. Seeing this, Taiyang continued. "Because of that failure, she is scared that the same thing will happen if she was around you and the others. That her past will catch up to her and finish what it started. I'm not saying it's enough to justify or excuse her actions. But I'm just asking you to try and understand her side of the story before making rash decisions. No one's perfect. We all have some sort of baggage to deal with."

"How can I when I fucked up?"

"You won't know unless you try, honey."

* * *

To say that Salem was annoyed would be saying the sky was blue. Normally, she was a very patient woman. Very patient. After all, she had plotted sowing discord, distrust and chaos in Vale for several years, waiting for the opportune moment to strike before opening the path for Cinder to obtain the power of the Fall Maiden. There were a couple minor setbacks and whatnot, such as the unexpected intervention of Qrow Branwen in the initial stages, but nothing that couldn't be salvaged.

It took a great deal of effort to annoy Salem. And the re-establishment of the CCT Tower was one of those efforts.

She had no idea who could have repaired it, but what she did know was that its reconstruction was ahead of schedule. At best, it would take well over two years, yet someone accomplished the feat in four hours. Hours! Whoever accomplished this feat was worthy of her being wary of and the target of her ire.

"This is a great inconvenience." Salem said, addressing the group that had gathered before her. Cinder and her two pawns were present, but the girl had seen better days. Her eye was hidden beneath an eyepatch and the left side of her body was heavily clothed in contrast to the rest of her. A large, well-built man sat on the opposite side, expression akin to that of carved stone. Next to him was a man in fine clothing and dark skin with a hint of smugness in his presence. "With the CCT re-established, it won't be long before the Kingdoms reconnect."

"With all due respect, milady, that will take a great deal of time, given how much time has passed." Arthur Watts interjected, waving a hand. "Atlas is practically on the verge of turning into an isolationist country, in no small part to General Ironwood's paranoia. Leonardo is still our pawn, and Vale is in no shape to offer any support."

"Be that as it may, time has a way of changing things." Salem countered, not at all angry with Watts argument. In fact, she understood his point. It would be a very long time before the Kingdoms could return to their former states. "True, tensions are as high as the days prior to the Great War so long ago, but it won't be long before the tension settles."

Hazel Reinhart furrowed his brow. "How was the CCT Tower in Vale repaired so quickly?" he questioned. "Vale was under siege from all fronts. Though it was frozen solid, the Wyvern should have attracted Grimm from all over the continent. With the city under so much pressure, and so little manpower to spare, repairs should have taken years."

"That, I'm afraid, I do not know. Despite the impossibility of the fact, someone repaired the tower. And worse yet, the Wyvern has been moved." Salem was a little disappointed to hear that one of her favorite types of Grimm had been pulled away, especially since it was a literal homing beacon. The Grimm were not just attracted to negative emotions, but also certain types of Grimm. The Wyvern being one of those types. "I suppose our only saving grace is that the virus should still be active. Watts, is the virus still functional?"

Watts nodded. "Theoretically, yes. It was designed to affect the entirety of the system, not just a single node, after all."

"Can it be activated again?"

Emerald frowned. "Pardon me for speaking out of turn, but...will it really be that easy?"

All eyes turned to the green haired girl, who gulped when a certain pair of piercing orbs of blood and darkness focused on her. "Please elaborate, child..." Salem instructed her.

"W-well..." She did her best to choose her words carefully. "If someone was able to repair the tour in four hours...wouldn't they do a diagnostic check?" The ivory skinned woman stayed silent, yet her gaze prompted her to continue. "I-I mean...wouldn't it be possible that they found the virus and took measures to remove it?"

Watts scoffed at Emerald's words. "I sincerely doubt that. They may have quite the technological know-how, but I doubt they would have discovered the virus. Especially since it's hiding inside the network itself."

"But what if they did?" Emerald reiterated, annoyed by the Doctor's cocky attitude. "If they could repair a tower that normally would've taken years to fix, in under a day...wouldn't they have some way to find the virus? Even if you don't believe so?"

"I guess the only way to find out would be for the old man here to start it up." Mercury suggested. "Wouldn't it just be easier for us to pull another Vytal Festival, just less carnage and mayhem and bring down the network again?"

"If only it were that simple." Watts shook his head. "Because of what happened, the Kingdoms are on full alert. If I attempted to activate the virus now, their response would be quick. Not only that, but Ironwood is probably searching for the virus as we speak. If we activated it again so early, chances are, he would find it and dismantle it. I'd rather not have us lose a potential ace in the hole."

Cinder's face twisted into something close to a sneer. Watts noticed it and glared at her. Tyrian Callows noticed this and laughed. "They're at it again~" he said in a sing-song tone. "Saaay, speaking of problems, what do we do about the Silver-Eyed Girl? Oh, what was her name again? Ruby something?"

"Ruby Rose." Salem repeated the name. "It is rather...discerning for her to be awakening to her abilities so quickly."

"She will hardly be a problem." Hazel argued. "We've dealt with her kind before."

"Perhaps, but that makes her no less dangerous." Salem paused as a thought entered her mind. It was true that, if left alone, Ruby Rose could become a potential thorn in her side. Perhaps even more so than her mother. Of everyone Salem had come to face in the modern age, it was that woman who provided the greatest challenge. And how much of a threat those who possessed those eyes posed. It would be quite problematic if the girl was allowed to gather strength.

But on the other hand, such a danger could be made into an advantage...

"Tyrian." she called. "Suspend your search for the Spring Maiden. Instead, I want you to focus on searching for the girl. You are to bring her to me. Alive." The man visibly deflated at that last bit, but was still no less excited. "Cinder, you will remain here. Gather your strength. And most importantly, learn to control that new power of yours." The scarred woman nodded weakly, determined not to fail her mistress. "Watts, please had to Haven Academy and reassure our...friend...of his loyalties. With communications restored, I have no doubt the other Headmasters have questioned him." Watts nodded his head. "As for you, Hazel. I'd like for you to go to Mistral and test Sienna Khan's loyalty with Adam." Hazel nodded.

It was going to be quite busy...

* * *

Oscar Pine sighed as he laid himself out atop a small pile of hay. "What a day..."

The young lad had woken up early to tend to his chores and tasks until late in the afternoon. Tending to crops, feeding and cleaning up after the livestock, making sure everything worked properly, etc.

Just another day working as a farmhand. It wasn't exciting work by any means, but it was one of the few things he was good at besides reading and writing. Plus, it was part of the terms behind his stay here. He had moved in with his aunt as a result of an argument from his parents. He couldn't quite remember what the argument was about, but he knew it had to do with their limited funds. They were running low on money, and Oscar wanted to find some way to help with that. While he was being payed by his aunt, the money he received was very minimal. Even so, what little he had was valuable and sent what he earned back home.

He was also saving up his own stockpile of cash for the day when he would be able to attend school. Not one of those fancy Huntsman Academies, he didn't even want to imagine what the costs were going to be like! Besides, he couldn't fight to save his life. Though he yearned for adventure, the odds of him ever attending a Huntsman Academy, much less possessing a talent for fighting, were quite low.

Oscar was content with his lot in life. He was able to help his family in his own way, even if it was meager.

However, for the last couple of days, he had noticed something...rather odd. Every now and then, he would hear these faint whispers. There was no one around when he heard them, and initially he just assumed it was the wind. But overtime, the whispers were getting louder. More coherent, like there was someone actually trying to talk to him. He had half a mind to think the farm was haunted, but last he checked, there was no such thing as ghosts. Unless you counted Geists, of course, but Grimm were a whole other bucket of snakes he wanted no part of.

Even weirder, he had noticed that his eyes had started to develop these colorful flakes. His eyes were normally hazel, but these yellowish-gold flakes had started to appear. And they were steadily growing bigger. There was nothing wrong with his eyes, though. No irritation or pain or anything like that, so he had no idea what was going on. Maybe it was some genetic thing. Still, to be better safe than sorry, Oscar planned on going to the doctor to get his eyes checked.

"I'm so sore all over..." Oscar murmured as he pulled himself off the pile of hay. He had spent the whole morning herding the cows and plowing the fields. He was also a little warm. "Maybe a nice cold splash of water will do me some good." He walked over to the facet and unfastened his gloves, setting them on the side of the sink before turning the handles. Cold water rushed out, slathering his hands. He scooped up a small puddle and splashed on his face, immediately feeling much better. He repeated the process a few times before the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood up.

Oscar looked up and saw his reflection. Or, at least what looked like his reflection. He wasn't sure why, but something seemed off about it. His face was the same, if a little wet, but he noticed that his features seemed a little sharper. And his eyes were starting to change color.

"What in the...?"

Oscar blinked. Suddenly, his reflection was no longer there. Instead, a stranger was in the mirror, smiling back at him.

 ** _"Hello. My name is Ozpin. Headmaster of-"_**

Oscar screamed.

* * *

 ** _Your journey is about to begin._**

Chapter: END


	4. Chapter 4

_I LIVE!_

 _Well, okay. Can't say that. I've been alive, but I've been busy. College life and all that shit. Let me tell you, sexual education is something else. Especially when you're taking it WITH YOUR SISTER. YOUR OLDER SISTER._

 _Needless to say, I've been in hell. Never before have I enjoyed the safety of my room and my laptop._

 _Anyway, not much to say here, but I do wanna talk a bit about RoosterTeeth. If you guys have kept up with the news, they've been in some pretty deep shit as of lately. People keep hoping that RT goes crashing down, while me and a few others hope that they can somehow bounce back. Sure, say what you will about the company, but people seem to forget that there are some good people working there._

 _I won't say anything about my thoughts on RWBY's current direction because, jesus christ, last time I did on another site I think I started some kind of internet flame war or something. So, I'll keep my opinions to myself. On another note, for the people who are asking me to update, for fuck sake, will you stop? I'm a human being. I have a life. I do not write so you people can boss me around._

 _That being said, I can proudly say my Fate/stay night and DxD crossovers are in the works. Expect an update sometime in the near future. Just don't ask when._

 _For now, enjoy!_

* * *

 _ **Your Paths have begun to intertwine.**_

 _ **The Sun has begun to rise and the Night flees.**_

 _ **A new Dawn is about to begin, Master.**_

* * *

 **A Fate/Grand Order x RWBY Crossover:  
** _ **"Chaldea in Remnant"**_

* * *

 **Fate/04: The Autumn Dance, the Winter Thaw**

Yu Miaoyi groaned as she walked through the halls of Chaldea, her shoulders sagging. "What's the matter?" the masked Servant beside her, the Prince of Lanling Gao Changgong, asked as he caught up with her. "You seem tired, Lady Miaoyi."

"I'm fine, Gao." she insisted. "It's just that Da Vinci assigned me some damn paperwork. Ever since those two idiots got us into this mess, she's been running around like a chicken with its head cut off and Solomon's return has her working up a storm, to which she decided to go on strike and assign me and Shikibu grunt work." Yu grimaced. "From A Team Master to desk jockey... How the mighty have fallen." The girl complaining about her fate used to be a Master of Chaldea. In fact, she was one of the top seven Master Candidates recruited by former director, Marisbury Animusphere. Her aptitude and Magecraft was impressive enough to designate her position to A Team.

That is...until disaster struck by sabotage courtesy of Lev Lainur, aka, Flauros, one of the 72 Demon Pillars, fragment of Beast I Goetia.

Following the disaster, she and her fellow members of A Team were placed in cryogenic sleep to preserve their lives until Chaldea reconnected with humanity and grant them proper medical treatment.

It would've worked...had not their fates been intervened by an Alien God.

The Lostbelt fiasco had been quite the enduring trial for Chaldea, especially for the Fujimaru siblings, who stood in direct opposition to the A Team, now rebranded as the Crypters. Miaoyi didn't actually feel any need to participate in their activities, more than content with her own Lostbelt, especially seeing as show she had been reunited from her lover from so long ago, even though his form had changed.

If anything, though, Miaoyi found her lover's new body to be quite charming, even if he did have problems with his Servant Class.

"It could be worse." Gao told her, shaking his head deeply. "You could have been stuck being forced to help stop Brynhildr from killing Sigurd. It took myself, Musashi and even Heracles to get her to stop. Heracles!" The prince let out a shrill cry. "Sometimes, I wonder if she's really a Servant and not some Beast in hiding!"

Miaoyi giggled. "I see. But speaking of trouble, what is this I hear about you getting into a drinking contest with the Irish servants?"

"Ugh, I don't even WANT to talk about that." the masked Servant whined. "I'm fearing for my liver, even though I don't have to worry about alcohol poisoning." He was about to continue, were it not for the fact that a familiar red-haired Servant had bumped into him in a hurry. "W-whoa! Hey, Rama! What's the hurry?!"

"It's one of the new Servants that the Masters summoned." Rama informed, a hint of excitement in his eyes. "She's going to fight Leonidas, Romulus and even Nero." Not wanting to miss the fight for even a second, Rama continued to rush on ahead.

The two shared a stunned look with each other. "Three on one?"

Gao grinned. "This I have to see."

* * *

When was the last time Pyrrha felt this excited?

She supposed in her past life...this sense of exhilaration could be comparable to when she fought in the final matches of tournaments.

It was an appropriate sensation to be sure.

Especially since she was facing off against three Heroic figures.

In her life, the exhilaration she felt during the final matches would typically fade whenever she prepared to face off against someone that she, to an extent, was confident she could defeat. Once the matches neared their end, she soon felt disappointed that she could not truly enjoy herself. But this was different. Her opponents were not people who were training to become Huntsmen and Huntresses. These were people who had become known throughout their world because of their legends. They were heroes of the highest caliber.

They were the opponents that she, Pyrrha Nikos, craved with all of her being. For her opponents were strong. Maybe even stronger than she. Their legends were solidified, their power renowned...in their world at least.

She couldn't stop herself from twitching. God, she just wished the fight would start already!

"Ahem!" the regal and portly looking Servant, who Pyrrha recognized as Julius Caesar the Saber Servant, cleared his throat. "Attention, Chaldea! The three-on-one duel is about to begin! But first, the rules! The usage of Noble Phantasms is strictly forbidden! No life-threatening injuries, or blows that would otherwise severely damage you! Granted, we can have you patched up, but I believe I speak for everyone present that I would not rather be subjected to Nightingale's treatment!" A collective shudder ran through those present, including the spectators. "Finally, you may yield if you feel you've suffered enough punishment! Anything further the contestants would wish to add?!"

"Shut up, fatty!" a blue-clad Servant with a crimson spear shouted with a grin. "Hurry up and start the match! I got fifty bucks on the newbie!"

"Very well then!" Caesar then turned to the competitors. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Are you ready?!"

"Yes!" Came the collective reply.

"Then let the battle...begin!" He then dashed off the arena to avoid the crossfire.

The first one to strike was Romulus, who leaped into action with his crimson halberd. With a roar, he brought it straight down upon Pyrrha. With speed that would rival even Ruby's, all made possible because of her present circumstances, Pyrrha evaded and dashed to the side. She did not have time to counterattack, however, as Nero had matched her speed and came at her, sword in hand. A smile was clear on the blonde Emperor's face, swinging her sword with ease in spite of its size. Pyrrha deflected it, letting the blade grind against her shield before directing it away from her and spinning around in her heel for a full 180 turn, Milo switching into its rifle mode in the blink of an eye, leveling the gun in Nero's face.

She pulled the trigger. Nero leaned back, falling into a backflip. The bullet flew right over her body. As she raised her legs, Nero kicked the gun upward and spun, going for another slash. This time, she aimed for Pyrrha's ankle in the hopes of lessening her ability to move quickly. Pyrrha jumped to evade and rolled in the air, angling her body so she lined up with Milo and fired another shot. The recoil pushed her back and threw her back on her feet, grinding her heels to stop her retreat. The shot missed as Nero bounced on her hand and retreated. She then charged straight after her, accompanied by Leonidas, who's eyes burned with intensity.

He leaned his body in for a thrust. A normal human, veteran Huntsman or no, couldn't have possibly seen the speed in which Leonidas thrusted his spear. They would have surely been skewered by the time they realized what had happened. Pyrrha, however, saw the attack coming and switched Milo into a blade. She side-stepped the thrust, the blade narrowly avoiding her shoulder, before she twisted her body to deliver a roundhouse kick, pushing the spear away from her and going for a slash fueled by her movement. Leonidas, however, followed her example and spun around as well, letting his momentum fuel his next strike. Spear collided with sword, the air shaking from the impact. The two locked blades, each attempting to push the other back.

In the end, they broke off their struggle. Romulus came rushing at her from the side, dragging his blade with him from behind. With incredible force, he swung with the intent of cleaving her in half. Pyrrha's eyes widened, realizing the danger, and swooped down to her legs. A gust of wind blew against her, created by the force of Romulus' swing. Pyrrha went in to counter him, bashing her shield in his face and stunning him for only a brief second. She followed up with a quick slash to his chest, dragging it across his skin. Rather than a cut or create a bleeding gash, a flow of red light danced across his broad muscles, only it heal as quick as it had appeared.

Pyrrha's blow was minuscule and lacked force. Yet damage was still damage. Milo changed once more, and this time, she delivered several rounds into his body. Each shot pushed her back via recoil, and Romulus found himself stumbling back from the barrage.

Nero and Leonidas chose that moment to sneak up on Pyrrha from behind, both weapons ready to deliver the finishing blow. Pyrrha smirked as she jumped and let her body soar across their weapons, the edge just barely touching the strands of her ponytail before twirling her body at just the right angle to kick both of them at once in the face. The Roman Servants recoiled and backed away, allowing Pyrrha a moment to catch her breath while Milo changed once more. Its hilt extended, and the blade grew slightly longer. It had become a spear, perfectly matching with her Class.

"She's got some moves." Cu Chulainn remarked with a wide grin. While he was disappointed that the Roman Servants had beaten him to the punch and challenged the girl first, he could not deny she was exceptional. "She's a Lancer, but she fights like a Saber and an Archer. She's got some good reflexes too."

"No kidding." a rather burly-looking Servant with blonde hair and rippling muscles remarked, showing off a toothy smile. "She's golden, that's for sure. But my money's still in Nero kicking her ass."

A Servant wearing a green mantle gave Kintoki a bizarre look. "You high or something?" Robin Hood questioned. "If you ask me, the rookie's got a pretty good chance."

"What do you think, Miaoyi?" Nobunaga asked as she looked at the two recent arrivals. "Gao? Who do you think is most likely to win?"

"Personally, I believe it's far too early to tell." Miaoyi answered as she observed the fight. She and Gao may have just arrived. But she could see how well the new Servant held her own against the Romans. But from what she could see, both sides were merely warming up. They simply tested the waters, so to speak.

"Indeed." The swordsman agreed. "But it would see we may find out soon enough."

Nero let out a battle cry as she jumped into the air, flames dancing from the tip of her sword as she tried to bring it down upon Pyrrha. At the same time, Leonidas went in to impale her where she stood. The red-haired woman braced herself and looked for any means of countering. At the last possible second, the gears clicked into place and she smiled. She brought her shield up, deflecting Nero's strike and redirecting her straight at Leonidas, throwing the Emperor straight at the Spartan. Her attention returned to Romulus, though to her surprise she found his weapon discarded and a fist reared back. She quickly dodged, feeling the skin of his knuckles brushing against her cheek as she backed away.

Her hands were shaking, but not out of fear. Rather, she was shaking from excitement. A small smile was appearing on her face, even when the founder of Rome came straight at her once again, his face savage.

He swung his fists again and again. Yet Pyrrha narrowly evaded each attempted blow by a hairsbreadth. The next time Romulus swung, she ducked beneath it and countered with her javelin. The sharp end stabbed into his shoulder, sinking into flesh. There was resistance, but no blood. For his part, the Servant didn't look the least bit in pain and instead smiled widely before he grabbed hold of her weapon, then rammed his armored head into her unprotected one.

In the next second, Pyrrha's world exploded in pain. She felt her brain rattle within her skull, despite her body being a servant container. Her ears rung while her vision blurred. She staggered back, leaving her wide open to an flank attack. Nero jumped back into the fray with her sword raised. Her heel spun on the spot, blade following her and ready to deliver a fatal blow. Pyrrha, however, regained her senses just in time to raise her shield in defense, but the blow caused her to stagger and stumble back. Leonidas let out a roar as he came charging at her. Without a weapon to defend herself, she'd be dead before she had a chance to counter.

Unfortunately, none of them knew about her Semblance. For the first time since being summoned, Pyrrha let her soul push to the surface. Oddly, she felt a pleasant tingle run down the back of her spin and her skin burn up as if she was basking in the sunlight. She held out a hand and focused her power on the weapon still stuck in Romulus' shoulder.

The javelin trembled and moved, earning the founder of Rome's attention. He was about to grab it when it suddenly pulled itself out and flew back to Pyrrha's hand. Just as her fingers wrapped around the hilt and it changed back into a blade, she locked it with Leonidas' spear. She struggled to push the muscular Spartan before Romulus' previous actions gave her an idea. She had been taught to use everything at her disposal to fight, from her weapons to her shield, but rarel had she ever used her own body in battle.

Perhaps it was time to get creative.

Pyrrha put strength into her struggle, trying to push Leonidas back, then took him by surprise by ramming her knee into his-

"-Gugh?!"

" _Sorry_!"

Kintoki winced. "Oof. Right in the family jewels."

"Damn. Wouldn't want to be in his shoes right now..."

The newly summoned Lancer frantically apologized while the Spartan King hunched over. The blow, while non-lethal, definitely hurt intensely.

"So...is the fight on hold or...?"

The question was answered as Romulus capitalized on the moment of distraction. He nearly landed a blow on her head, but she evaded and jumped back. Nero and her empire's founding father followed after her. Leonidas, meanwhile, was left forgotten and lay on the ground, cradling his damaged private parts, comical tears spilling out from underneath her helmet.

* * *

"So, how's your junk?"

"That is not funny and you know it, Da Vinci." Solomon growled. The Caster-class Servant grinned, finding his expression similar to an enraged cat. Utterly adorable. "I damn near lost my manhood. I understand that you were upset by my actions back at the temple, but I would have done it again in a heartbeat a million more times if it meant saving you all. And what do I get for my sacrifice? Being treated like comic relief by way of getting the crap kicked out of me! Gudako-chan, I can understand. When she makes a promise, she'll follow through on it, but dammit all, sicking Nightingale on me?!"

"Oh, quit your bitching." Da Vinci blew him off. "You and I both know how much you missed this insanity and you enjoyed every second of it."

"Believe me, I was until Nightingale busted out with the bonesaw." he admitted. "Anyway, how did you bring me back? I erased my legend from the Throne itself."

"This little beauty, actually." Da Vinci raised the ring in her hand. His eyes widened in surprise upon seeing it. "I actually have a theory about that. While it is true that the legend of Solomon was erased, it can also be said that the rings are part of your legend too. And since these rings represent the ten gifts God himself gave you, they can't easily be erased by a Noble Phantasm, even by one as powerful as yours."

"But, how did you...?"

Da Vinci frowned. "It was found in the Lost Room. Speaking of, remind me to tell you about the Lostbelt incidents when I get the chance. For now, let me catch you up to speed. To make a long story short, Chaldeas has been uprooted from our world and transported to another world. And not just a parallel world, but an alternate dimension."

"What?! How did that happen?!" At her silence, Solomon's face turned deadpan. "...you had a hand in it, didn't you?"

"I plead the fifth."

"Dammit, Da Vinci..."

"It was an honest mistake, really." the Servant raised her hands in defense. "It was meant to be a test run! I wasn't planning for it to actually explode! You should at least be thankful that some of our fellow eggheads didn't try and turn it into a nuclear-powered machine, otherwise there wouldn't even be a Chaldeas left! Just one big smoking crater in between worlds."

He face-palmed. He was torn between tearing his hair out and crying. Oh, how he had forgotten the eccentric behavior of this mad woman. "That aside..." he shook his head and returned his attention to her. "What's the current situation? Any hostile encounters so far?"

"Only with this world's monsters. They're called Grimm. Fascinating creatures, actually. Gudako-chan and the others managed to bring back a live specimen, but its been turned to stone. Actually, it'd be more accurate to say that it's frozen in stone. Magically, I might add. Which is curious, considering from what I've managed to gleam from this world's world-wide network, magic doesn't exist."

"Truly? Not even magecraft?!"

"Nope!"

If he hadn't been surprised before, he definitely was now. If magecraft doesn't exist, then what did it say about the mana of that world? Did they also have the presence of Alaya and Gaia?

"They fight using man-made weapons, mostly weaponry that can change forms on the fly, typically a form of gun combined with bladed weaponry. Additionally, some use the power of something called a Semblance - a physical representation of a person's soul. Each is unique and have different abilities. A woman named Glynda Goodwitch seems to possess a power similar to telekinesis."

Solomon rubbed his chin. "A power derived from a person's own soul...curious."

"Indeed. As for the Grimm, they appear to be attracted to negative emotions. Humanity's been fighting them for countless years, and they aren't alone. They live together with a sub-species of humans called Faunus, who physically resemble humans but possess animalistic traits as well. Some have a second set of ears, others have scales, etc. The traits depend on the person." Da Vinci's face fell significantly. "Unfortunately, the two races have bad history. Humanity considered Faunus to be second-class citizens, and there have been several conflicts between them in the past. I'll send you the complete document, but one of the more recent acts of aggression happened a few months ago in this world. A terrorist organization made up of Faunus calling themselves the White Fang apparently orchestrated a large-scale attack on the Kingdom of Vale, one of the countries in this new world. Most of the city was lost and overrun with Grimm as a result. Worse, the global network system in this world was made possible by a series of towers. If even one of those towers is destroyed, the whole system goes down."

Solomon frowned. "That sounds idiotic. Who in the world designed it to be like that?"

"On paper, it was meant to represent unity, but in practice, well the other eggheads agreed with you. So much so, in fact, that they restored the destroyed tower and remade the whole system from the ground up. All within four hours." Da Vinci smiled widely. "I'm quite proud of myself for that. Turns out there are unused satellite units in orbit surrounding the planet, so I decided to borrow a few pages from our world and link the global network system with the satellites."

"Smart move. You deserve a raise."

"Drop the sarcasm, Roman. It's unbecoming." the woman replied with a grin. "Anyway, as it stands now, we're currently still investing the world and trying to figure out where to go from here. In the meantime, we're helping the Heroic Spirits native to this world acclimate to Chaldea."

"Ah, you mean Lancer and Ruler?"

"Yes. Since they're Heroic spirits native to this world, their legends are foreign to the Servants we have on roster."

"That explains the unique aura I got from them." Solomon remarked.

Da Vinci nodded. "Yes. Ozma hasn't said much about his past, but Pyrrha is..." She sighed. "She's a recent addition to the Throne of Heroes. Literally. She died a few months ago."

Solomon's face fell. For someone as young as her to die at her age, and so recently...his heart went out to the poor girl. She was smiling, but how much of it was real and how much of it was just her putting on a brave face? "I see..."

"Speaking of, I heard she challenged Romulus, Nero and Leonidas to a spar."

"Oh, I see. Well, I hope they don't-wait, did you just say she's fighting all three of them?!"

"Yep!"

Solomon's face turned red. "I thought you said she was acclimating!"

"She is. And what better way to do that than a friendly spar?"

"She's up against three Romans, Da Vinci! One of them is the King of Sparta!"

"Oh, don't worry. She's tougher than she looks. In fact, she just kneed Leonidas right in the balls! Oh, I can tell. She'll fit right in!" Da Vinci looked up from her datapad, a thoughtful look on her face. "You know, now that I think about it... She seems more like a Celt than a Roman."

"What do you mean?"

"Here. Take a look." She handed him the data pad. The Grand Caster's eyes widened in shock.

Smiling.

Pyrrha Nikos was smiling, despite the fact that she was clearly on the losing end. She was actually enjoying the fight. She enjoyed the overwhelming odds.

Earlier, she appeared to have the advantage or at least stood on level ground with them, but as the fight progressed it quickly became clear that her opponents were stronger than her. Yes, she was clearly experienced and trained in the art of combat, and her abilities enhanced by her newfound strength as a Servant...but she couldn't keep up with the strength, power and ability of those who outclassed her in terms of experience and ability. Though her burdened was now lightened with the defeat of Leonidas, Romulus and Nero had not relented. She fought well, but it was starting to show that she was nearing the wall.

Even so, she continued to smile. Had not Solomon not known any better, he would have believed that she was excited by the prospect of defeat. He honestly couldn't imagine why. Granted, he did not know of her legend or story, so he wouldn't know how she felt at all.

But, the fact that she clearly enjoyed such a difficult, uphill battle was...

"...I suppose she would make for a good Celt." Solomon said finally. "By the way, on the subject of new Servants, I saw a new face with Gudako-chan and Ritsuka-kun."

"Hm? Oh, you mean Kadoc-kun?"

"Yeah. I'm surprised he's up and about. Then again, it's been a while, I presume. I take it the rest of the Master candidates are alive and well?"

"Well, there's a bit more to that story. Like I said, I'll fill you in later. For now..." Da Vinci looked at Solomon up and down as if studing him, confusing the fellow Caster. "You aren't a Grand Caster anymore, are you?"

"No. Just a regular Servant now." Solomon answered solemnly.

After using his Noble Phantasm, he expected that it was the end for him. But since he was resummoned, he noticed something different about his Spirit Origin. Instead of possessing one that signified his status as a Grand Servant, he was reduced to a mere Caster Servant now, much like how the First Hassan relinquished his title to fell Tiamat back in Babylonia.

While he had no grievances giving it up, he couldn't help but feel disappointed. He wouldn't be able to fight as effectively as he did under Olga's father.

Then again, such was the price of using his Noble Phantasm. He could, at the very least, offer what little power he had now to the two Masters he now served. Thinking back, it was funny. Before, when he was Romani, he watched over the two while they went to resolve Singularities. Now, as Solomon, he'll be able to fight alongside them.

A small smile touched his face.

"This'll be interesting..."

* * *

Ozma met Gilgamesh. Or rather, one of them. He was still confused by the fact that there were multiple copies of the same Servants, just fulfilling different classes.

The one he met was fulfilling the Caster class. He certainly gave off the presence of a king, and his clothes could fit no one other than royalty. There was an arrogant air to him, but at the same time, there was also a sort of welcoming presence. His face was smug, but there wasn't a hint of malice in his eyes. Rather, there was a hidden feeling to them. It wasn't kindness or compassion or anything like that, but there it was certainly warm.

"If you don't mind me asking, why are there so..."

"So many of us, wearing the same face but wearing a different class?" Gilgamesh smirked. "I suppose its because each Class represents what we could have been, or different points in our lives. For myself as an Archer, it was back during my years with Enkidu, while I was a tyrant to the people of Uruk. As a Caster, it was long after my journey with Enkidu came to an end and I wisened up, so to speak. Not that it's of any concern. All you simply need to know is that, depending on the class we assume, our personality, appearance and history differ."

He pointed to the woman beside a steed clad in silver armor, hair blonde and coming down to her shoulders with eyes the color of a lush forest.

"Do you see that woman? That is Arthur Pendragon, king of Camelot. Or rather, the what-if identity of the Lion King. I was not there to face her personally, but to my knowledge, the Lion King was an adversary to Chaldea and its Masters. You'll find another Arthur Pendragon of the Lancer class, but she represents a million-to-one possibility."

Ozma nodded. "I see. Quite intriuging."

"Have I peaked your interest, mongrel?" Gilgamesh smirked. "I'd be happy to tell you more, but in turn, I demand you tell me about yourself and of Remnant's past."

"First off, I am no mongrel." the tanned hero smiled back. "I dare say I can give you a run for your money, supposed infinite armory aside." Gilgamesh's eyes lit up at this, smile turning predatory. "But, I'm happy to oblige. My story isn't quite exciting. I was little more than a wanderer, going from place to place. I knew how to use magic, though compared to others I was more proficient with a sword. My hometown was modestly peaceful, aside from the occasional Grimm attacks. Compared to now, however, the Creatures of Grimm were far and few between. Many people's concerns were simply bandits, tyrants and the like. One day, a corrupt noble attempted to siege control of my home, and before I realized it, myself and many others joined to fight back."

"A common tale." Gilgamesh remarked. "But I assume there's more?"

"There was, yes. We defeated the corrupt noble, and life returned to normal. The lord in charge of my hometown saw my talent and offered me a place among his guard. I declined, because the attack helped open my eyes. Foolish as it may be, I saw how the people beneath that nobleman's rule was. Weak, terrified and oppressed. It stoked something inside of me, and by the time I had realized what was going on, I had started to travel to other lands, fighting other corrupt lords." Ozma chuckled. "Apparently, after you take down a few tyrant kings and lords and the like, people tend to recognize you and offer you lavish gifts. Countless nobles and kings offered me a place at their side, ranging from titles of nobility to even marriage offers."

Gilgamesh's lips curled in distaste. "Leeches, nothing more."

"On that, we agree. I actually found their daughters to be excellent company, but I wasn't interested in pursuing romance. But, then, one day, I received a summons from someone I couldn't possibly have expected."

"Oh, and who might that be?"

"The Gods." Gligamesh leaned in, now fully interested. "The seals on the letters were the emblems of the Brother Gods. I was floored, and quite terrified. I had wondered if I had done something to offend them, but to my surprise, the high priest who served beneath the God of Light told me that he requested my presence. I did as I was told." Ozma laughed. "I was practically shaking. So many thoughts wandered through my head, wondering what was going to happen to me now that I had been called to stand before one of the deities who ruled over Vytal. When I stood before the god, I asked if I had done anything to offend him. He told me it was actually the opposite and instead wanted to meet the person who had been bringing hope across Vytal."

"I assume there was more to that meeting. The gods typically don't call upon a mortal just to congratulate them."

"And you would be correct. After listing my accomplishments, the God of Light asked if I would be interested in becoming his Champion - an honor that few long before my time held. The Champion to the God of Light would be blessed and given abilities far greater than any normal human. In times of turmoil and imbalance, they would be called on to correct what had gone wrong. I must admit, I was tempted, but I refused."

The golden king smiled widely. His opinion of Ozma rose slightly. "And why did you do that?"

"While greater strength is always appreciated, becoming his Champion would have also bound me to other duties. There would be things that I could and could not do. In short, I refused because I wanted no part in politics. I was a warrior first and foremost. Oddly enough, the God of Light wasn't angry or disappointed in the least. Instead, he hoped I would continue to continue bringing hope to the people of Vytal. Of course, he was not the only god who asked for me. His brother, the God of Darkness, had also requested my presence. I should mention that there was no church worshiping the God of Darkness, as while he did have a hand in creating humanity and the planet as a whole, it was also him who created the Grimm. That, and considering what he's a God of, it was natural."

Gilgamesh nodded in understanding. "And let me guess. He heard you had refused his brother, and hoped you would become his Champion instead?"

"Indeed he did." Ozma nodded. "He offered me great power. Power to raze all who opposed me. To give me more than the gift of Destruction and magic he gave upon humanity. I had no need for power. And like before, I did not wish to be bound to other duties. In the end, I refused his offer. Unfortunately, he did not take...kindly...to the rejection."

"Oh, I can _imagine_."

"However, oddly, at the same time, he almost seemed intrigued by my refusal. After all, I had rejected the offers of the Brother Gods. Creators of humanity and Vytal."

"You are the first to refuse positions granted by the Gods. Swayed not by power or recognition. Determined to see things through your own way."

"Yeah...and I guess he was so impressed that he didn't kill me right then and there. He let me go, allowing me to wander the world once more. It was still terrifying, though." Ozma smiled. "However, I didn't die in some heroic effort. Rather, I died from illness." There was more to that story, of course. He had lost more than just his life that day. He had also lost the person he cared about. And it was all his fault. "A pitiful way to go, but...I'm afraid that's simply how life is."

Gilgamesh stared at Ozma curiously. He could tell that this new Servant wasn't telling him the whole story, but felt that whatever he was keeping to himself was personal. He wasn't so rude as to pry, despite what others, even himself may think. Instead, he let the matter go. "Very well. I suppose that shall suffice. Now, about this world... I noticed you refer to it as Vytal, not Remnant."

"That is correct."

"May I ask why the name is different?"

"Well, it's a long story." Ozma replied sheepishly. "It happened after my time. But to make a long story short, humanity had rebelled against the gods, and as punishment, they were erased and rendered extinct. Of course, this gave the Grimm to expand. Eventually, though, the God of Light did indeed revive humanity, but after what happened last time, he wanted to test humanity. To see if they could learn to come together of their own volition, and not without the gods' guidance. To this end, the Faunus were created. And as you know, the relationship between humans and Faunus has not been a very pleasant one."

Gilgamesh laughed. "I see now. The name changed because it was entrusted to humanity's successors. Or rather, what was left of them."

"Correct. Hence, the world became known as Remnant. The term 'Vytal' is used for special occasions and events, such as the Vytal Festival, but that's a matter for another time. Is there anything more you wish to discuss?"

"No. I am satisfied." Gilgamesh replied. "However... I have not forgotten your remark, Ozma. Challening me so brazenly, do you perhaps have a death wish?"

"Hah!" Ozma laughed. "I've heard that line so many times, I wish I had a coin every time I hear it. Truth be told, I wish to see how different my powers are, now that I am a Servant. Care to be my sparing partner, King of Uruk?"

"Hahahaha! Such bravado. Let's see if it lasts! To the arena!"

* * *

Mash opened her eyes and found herself staring up at a bright blue sky hanging over her head. She blinked a few times, wondering if perhaps she was seeing things, but the sight remained. Eventually, she pulled herself up and saw green plains stretch out as far as the eye could see. In the far distance, she could make out what looked like a castle. Or perhaps a city? It was protected by towering walls - walls that looked quite familiar.

"This place is..."

"...it's been a while, Kyrielight."

The girl gasped in surprise as she spun on her heel. Standing before her was a figure clad in black and purple armor. His complexion was flawless and his hair messy, obscuring his left eye. The right one was open to reveal molten gold. In his hands was a large, cross-shield. At his waist was a sheathed sword.

Mash recognized him immediately. For he was the Heroic Spirit whom she bonded a long time ago. The Servant that bestowed her his powers. The One who tested her and her friends as they cleared the Lostbelts. The Knight of the Round Table who sought the Holy Grail.

Galahad.

"Sir Galahad...?"

"It has been a while...Mash Kyrielight." The Shielder smiled softly.

The last time she had seen the Heroic Spirit was when the Lostbelt incidents had been resolved. Once everything was said and done, he had moved on without another word. She had felt his presence fade and assumed that he vanished entirely.

Obviously, that wasn't the case. He was here before her, but he appeared more...relaxed. Comfortable.

"I had thought you had left." Mash remarked. "Why did you decide to stay?"

"I wanted to see how much further you and the twins can go. You all saved humanity not once, but twice." he replied. "That, and it seems you've found yourself in yet another curious situation."

"We have?"

Galahad nodded. "You'll know when you awaken. In truth, were it not for Da Vinci's experiment going awry, I would have most likely remained asleep for much longer."

"But, what happened? What did she do?"

"I'm sure she'll explain once you wake up. I will admit. The circumstances are quite...bizarre. However, as to what sort of trials you all will be facing, I am uncertain." Galahad looked up. Mash did too. The sky was beginning to turn cloudy. Giant white masses swallowed the clear blue world above her. "It seems it's time for you to wake up. And don't worry. I'm not going to give you a handicap this time."

Before she could ask what he was talking about, Mash felt her eyes turn drowsy. Her eyelids fell close and her mind drifted away from her, floating into unconsciousness.

* * *

Mash woke up in a familiar place. A white ceiling, the sound of machines beeping in a rhythm, a strange but comfortable warmth at her side. She felt so warm in the presence's embrace she was almost reluctant to move. Carefully, she moved and found Ritsuka Fujimaru sound asleep at her bedside, his resting against his arms. In the far back of the room was Nightingale, who was in the process of tending to a sullen and depressed looking Leonidas and a girl she had never seen before in the adjacent bed, bandages wrapped around her face. She nearly looked like a mummy with how many bandages were wrapped around her body, but looked oddly jubilant with a wide smile on her face.

"Um..."

Mash wasn't entirely sure what to say. In fact, she had no idea why Leonidas and this girl were here. She could guess that Ritsuka had been staying by her side for quite some time, but she otherwise had no idea what was going on.

The new girl noticed her and waved. "Hello!"

"Er...hello..." Mash greeted back, unsure. "And you are...?"

"I'm Pyrrha. Very nice to meet you."

"Mash? Are you awake now?" Nightingale turned away from Leonidas the moment she heard the two girls conversing. She nodded. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit sleepy, but fine. How long has senpai been here?"

"Since he finished showing Ruler around Chaldea. You missed out on quite the excitement." the Berserker-class Servant told her. "That said, he's taken every opportunity to be by your side." The crazed nurse giggled. "Ah, young love..."

Mash blushed. "Nightingale-san, please..."

"Okay, okay. I'm done. I'll leave the teasing to Gudako. For now, stay there for a moment. I need to make a few calls, then we'll run some tests to make sure the change in environment hasn't had any adversed effects to your body." Mash frowned. Change in environment? But everything looked the same. "Like I said, you missed out on quite a lot of the excitement." Without elaborating, Nightingale left her and entered the back of the room. "Gudako-chan? Are you..."

Her voice trailed off as she disappeared, leaving Mash alone with a wounded Spartan, smiling newcomer and Ritsuka, still asleep.

"She's a very nice nurse." Pyrrha remarked. "I find it hard to believe she's a Berserker."

Leonidas whimpered. "You haven't seen her in full-on doctor mode. Most Berserkers are so nutty all they care about is killing the enemy. Her? She's a different kind of crazy. If somebody's injured, she'll heal 'em in any way she can, even if it kills them."

"Again, I'm so sorry about wounded your, er...man parts."

"It's fine." Leonidas replied. "It isn't the first time I've been hit there."

Mash tilted her head. What exactly had happened while she was out?

* * *

Yang stared at her Scroll. Blake Belladonna's number was pulled up and her finger was hovering over the call button. She stared and stared before she growled. Her finger refused to budge. It trembled and shook, but no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't press the call button.

"Come on, it's just a stupid apology!" Yang snapped angrily. She threw her Scroll down and glared up at her ceiling as if it were the culpirt or her therapist. "Or, maybe a heart-to-heart talk or..." She faltered and her face fell. Her head fell low and she groaned. "...or I have no fucking idea what I'm supposed to say."

She ran her hand through her hair in exasperation. Just what was she even supposed to say to her? Would she even pick up in the first place? Would she even still want to talk to her? The more Yang thought about it, the more depressed she became. It was finally starting to sink in.

"I screwed up..."

Looking back, she really shouldn't have snapped like that. She couldn't help it. Her partner just left her while she was unconscious after losing an arm, and never attempted to make contact. She just fell off the radar. She didn't even say goodbye. Of course she would be upset.

Then again, maybe she could've handled it differently. After all, like her dad said, she had her own personal baggage. She never bothered to look at her side of the story. Blake's departure had reminded her of her own mother and the troubles that came with it and made her own assumptions.

In short, she realized it was a dick move. She needed to set the record straight, or at the very least find something salvageable in this mess of a friendship she now had. But what was she supposed to do? She couldn't call Blake without freezing up or her mind turning blank.

"...wait. Didn't Weiss and Ruby make up once?"

She recalled hearing from Fox and Yatsuhashi, her upperclassmen, about how her sister and her partner had gotten into a rough patch. Understandably on the first day, no less. It did get resolved quickly, and in all honesty Yang thought all Weiss needed a chance to thaw out, no pun intended.

An idea came to her mind. She dialed up a new number and hit the call button. A few rings later, she connected. "He-"

"WHAT?!"

Yang recoiled. She knew Weiss had a beautiful singing voice, but damned if her lungs couldn't make for some ear-shattering screams. "Sorry. Is this a bad time?"

"Yang?" Weiss backpedaled almost immediately and winced. "Gods, I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else."

"Rough day?"

"The worst. Ever since the CCT came back online, I've been getting phone calls from all sorts of people, from marriage candidates proposed by my father to my so-called "friends" in Atlas Academy..."

Yang grimaced. "Oof. Sounds rough."

"You have no idea." Weiss groaned. "Anyway... What's up? Wait, don't tell me. Blake."

"How'd you guess?"

"It's written all over your face."

The blonde brawler sighed. Was it really that obvious? "...okay. So, I've tried to call her. She isn't blocking me or hanging up on me or anything like that, and we haven't gotten into a fight. It's just, every time I try to call, I just...freeze up. I have this speech all planned out in my hand, an apology or something, anything, but my hand stops before I can actually call her." She shook her head. "I...realized that what I said when Ruby called us was out of line."

"You think?" Weiss said dryly. Yang shot her a look. "Sorry. Continue."

"I mean, what the heck am I even supposed to say? How many people do you know actually accept people telling them "sorry" after they did something wrong? I have no clue what I'm supposed to do here!"

"And you're calling me because..."

"You and Rubes made up, didn't you?"

Weiss' face turned flat. "Yang, that was on the first day of school. I literally got into a fight with Ruby on the first day, and we made up by the end of the day. And by that point, we were still teammates. We weren't friends or anything remotely similar until our second semester started. Yours and Blake's problem is entirely different."

"So, you can't help me?"

At Yang's pitiful face, the heiress let out a groan. "If you're that desperate, I can offer you advice."

"Thank you!" The blonde's face twisted back into a grin, despite being slightly forced, something Weiss took note of. "So...whatcha got?"

" _Talk to her_." Yang blinked. "Not on a Scroll or by letter. Face-to-face. Don't come up with speeches or apologies. Just talk."

"...what? B-but, I don't even know where she is!"

"Try Menagerie."

"Why there? Well, aside from nine out of ten Faunus and there mother's living there."

"Two reasons. Either A, Blake is going to the one place she feels where she's most secure and safe at. A place where she can decompess and try to find some idea of peace in her messy life. And the only place that fits that description is her home. Her parents live in Menagerie, Yang."

"How do you know?"

"It's called the internet. Look it up." Weiss teased. Yang pouted. "The second reason is that, if not there to see her parents, its because she's still after the White Fang, maybe because of duty or revenge. Who knows? As for why the White Fang would be there, it's obvious. Menagerie is the home of Faunus everywhere. They can recruit people to their cause, protect them, etc. Regardless of what reason Blake has for going back to Menagerie, she will be there."

Yang bit her bottom lip. "And last I checked, Faunus in Menagerie don't have a good opinion on humans."

"Are you going to let that stop you?"

"Of course not!" Her response was immediate. Fiery and angry, eyes crimson before the burst of emotion faded, replaced by trepidation. "But...what if I screw up again?"

"You won't know unless you try."

The words her father spoke to her had been repeated. They echoed in her ears, as if trying to implant a lesson into her. Weiss opened her mouth to continue, but her face twisted into annoyance as she saw something only she saw. "Ugh, great. Sorry, I need to hang up. Father is calling. What does he want now?" The last part was whispered harshly beneath her breath, but loud enough for Yang to catch it. "Talk to you later?"

"Y-yeah. Sure."

"...Yang?"

"What?"

Weiss smiled. A bright warm smile, as bright as the sun. Yang had not seen such a smile on her face since their days at Beacon Academy. "It really is great to see you all again."

The call ended. Yang stared at her Scroll for a moment, then smiled to herself. "That's my line, Ice Queen." she said to herself before retreating to her thoughts. She was pondering on her next course of action, thinking on Weiss' words, but a part of their conversation had made her realize something.

Aside from her sister, who's life and thoughts she knew very well, she knew nothing about the other remaining members of Team RWBY. The only thing Yang knew about Weiss was that she had grown up in a difficult childhood, smothered by political agendas and the struggles of dealing with a man who seemingly cared more about his corporation than his own family. The only thing Yang knew about Blake was that she was a Faunus, and had cut ties with the White Fang when she had realized that it was no longer the same group that she fought with.

She knew nothing else, aside from those facts. What had been their happiest moments, what had been their saddest. Why they chose to attend Beacon instead of someplace else. What sort of lives they led. Their parents, friends. Everything outside of what she knew.

Granted, when Team RWBY was still functioning, they had been more preoccupied with dealing with a conspiracy regarding the local mob boss and the White Fang. But that did not change the fact that Yang Xiao Long had never come to truly know her team.

The fact dawned on her and fell like an anvil. All at once, Yang crumpled and let her hands fall into her face. The more she started to think, the more she realized just how deep the hole she had dug was.

And she sat there, for several hours, wondering what she could do. What she should do. She sat in the silence of her room, the Scroll left untouched since Weiss ended the phone call. But, after stewing in shadow for long enough, Yang raised her head. Something was glimmering in her eyes. She reached over for her Scroll. She picked it up, but rather than open her contacts, she instead loaded a search engine. After searching for something on the web, she finally started a new phone call.

The Scroll rang for several seconds before the recipient answered. The voice was female, but it was not the voice of Blake Belladonna.

"Hello?"

"Hi. Is this Kali Belladonna?"

* * *

 _ **The Door has opened. All that's left is for you to take the first Step.**_

Chapter: END


	5. Chapter 5

_I don't really have much to say this time...except that people are_ idiots. _Let me explain why._

 _Not too long ago, the Vice President of RoosterTeeth Michael Quinn was charged with domestic abuse of his wife. Naturally, people are latching on to the idea that RoosterTeeth knew about this and was keeping quiet about the whole thing. Not helping matters is that, at the time of this writing, RoosterTeeth hasn't offered any statements or commented on the situation. At least not that I know of._

 _I do agree that what Quinn did was disgusting, but do these idiots not realize that just because he's part of RT does not mean everyone knows about his personal life? I mean, seriously. You honestly think everyone at RT knows what the other person does when they're at home?_

 _Oh, I do have one thing to address. People keep constantly telling me that Pyrrha shouldn't qualify for the Throne of Heroes. I'd like to disagree by comparing her to Billy the Kid. Aside from being the poster boy for the wild west and outlaws, what has he accomplished that would have earned him a spot on the Throne of Heroes? If someone who hasn't accomplished anything nearly as impressive or as fantastic as the other Servants, with some key exceptions that could be argued, then Pyrrha could definitely make the cut._

 _I also imagine she is_ very _happy to know that she's no longer the Invincible Girl anymore, since pretty much everyone in Chaldea, except the Masters, could totally kick her ass._

 _With that said, please enjoy this chapter._

* * *

 **A Fate/Grand Order x RWBY Crossover:  
 _"Chaldea in Remnant"_**

* * *

 **Fate/05: One Step Forward, a Thousand More**

Ritsuka stared at Mash in pure awe, his mouth open and begging for flies to swarm inside. Next to her, Gudako's eyes dazzled while Kadoc whistled. The girl stood before them, but her appearance had changed. She was no longer wearing her casual clothes and her glasses were discarded, and an air of confidence flowed from her. More than that, she was smiling proudly, garbed in a black leotard with symmetrical dark purple designs along her waist and up to her neck while wearing bicep-length gloves with a purple underside and thigh-high leggings with similar markings, albeit blue and resembling circuits. Polished gray armor sat over her arms and legs, an odd mix of the armor she wore previously as a Demi-Servant and the Ortenaus support armor when Galahad had refused to help them. Strapped to her back was a round shield that was as big as herself, bearing a black cross-shape design over the front and extending out past the edges of the shield.

"M-Mash?!"

"Servant Shielder, reporting for duty, Senpai." Mash declared happily with a bright smile. "I look forward to working with you all again."

"Oooh! You got new armor! I'm totally digging it." Gudako cheered. "It really suits you!"

Kadoc looked at her up and down, studying her. "You feel different than when you were helping out in the Lostbelt... Is this because of the transfer?"

"Sort of. It seems whatever da Vinci did woke up Galahad." Mash informed them, much to their surprise. "He's agreed to lend us his full support."

"Really?! That's amazing!" Da Vinci cheered happily. "Still, I do have to agree with Kadoc-kun. You do feel a bit different. Before we even think of trying to see what you can do now, let's make sure everything's safe, alright?"

"Of course."

Ritsuka stared at Mash for a moment longer before he stepped forward. Mash was puzzled by this action before she let out a rather tiny squeak when the black-haired Master pulled her into his arms, wrapping around her arms and waist. Her cheeks turned bright crimson.

"S-senpai?!"

"I'm so glad..." Ritsuka smiled shakily as tears ran down his face. "I thought... I thought you'd never wake up..."

The Shielder's expression softened as she wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry for worrying you, senpai."

"Mash..."

The tender moment continued until Kadoc let out a cough, reminding them that they weren't alone. "Are you two finished?"

"Seriously, Ritsu-nii..." Gudako snickered. "Just hurry up and kiss her already!"

"G-Gudako-san!" Mash cried out, face atomic red as the two separated.

Off to the side, Ozma watched the interaction with a warm smile. Though he knew very little about Mash Kyrelight's exploits, he knew by this scene alone that she was someone very important to Chaldea's Masters. At his side, Pyrrha stared at them with a hint of longing in her eyes, as if the scene reminded her of something.

"They look happy together." she said off-handedly with a bitter smile. "They would make a beautiful couple."

"Are you perhaps jealous of them?" Ozma asked curiously.

Pyrrha shook her head hastily, waving her hands. "No no, it's nothing like that!" she insisted honestly. "It's just, seeing them like that... It reminds me about someone I had to leave behind, for his own sake." Her face softened and looked at the floor. "It was back during the Fall of Beacon. Everything was so chaotic, and I didn't want him to get killed. So I...had to push him away. I had so much I wanted to tell him, yet all I could manage was just one stupid kiss." She sighed deeply and shook her head. "That was the first, and only time, I ever managed to actually tell him how I felt."

"You sound like you cherish him greatly. He must be one special guy." the wanderer noted. Pyrrha nodded, a wry smile on her face. "You know, you could try and talk to him again. Granted, it'd be a very complicated explanation, but I'm sure the Masters would understand."

"No." To his surprise, Pyrrha's face turned conflicted. On the one hand, it looked like she desperately wanted to do just that. But on the other hand, her eyes were hesitant. "I can't. The only reason I'm here is because of Chaldea. Once they go back to their world, we'll just...disappear. Or go with them. Whatever's the case, even if I were to meet Jaune again, the two of us..."

Ozma looked at her with pity. Somehow, he understood those feelings all too well. He wanted nothing more than to be at Salem's side, but unlike his fellow, his was impossible. She had become dead set on destroying Ozpin's ideals of unity, all because of hesitance and misunderstanding on the old man's part. He was certain that, if they had just taken the time to talk things out, surely they could find a middle ground. But that couldn't happen. There were no what-ifs. Salem was no longer the beautiful woman who spent years locked away in a tower by her tyrant of a father. Even if he could, he was just someone who used to be Ozpin. A echo of what he once was. Of the man he had once been. A ghost.

The thought was little depressing, in his opinion. Still, he felt that Pyrrha still had a chance. Even if she thought that whatever possible relationship Jaune and she could have was impossible because of their circumstances, there was always that million-to-one chance. He made a mental note to talk about this with the other Masters before he noticed someone staring at the still madly blushing Mash and Ritsuka, a head of blonde hair sticking out and staring at the two with a hint of jealousy. A young woman somewhere in her teens, platinum blonde hair done in pigtails and eyes ruby red while wearing an elegant black dress and what looked to be a cage dangling from her hip.

Quirking a brow, he approached the odd woman from behind. "Excuse me, but what are you doing?"

"Ack!" the woman jumped and whirled around, staring at Ozma. "W-who the heck are you?!"

"I am Ozma. A Ruler-class Servant. The fair lady beside me is Pyrrha, a Lancer. And you are...?"

The woman blinked. "...you know, most people would just deflect that question and press for answers." she muttered before straightening herself out. "B-but, since you answered so honestly, I am also a fellow Lancer-class Servant. The goddess, Ereshkigal!"

"A goddess you say?" Ozma quirked a brow. Given his previous circumstances with the Brother Gods, he grew wary of such deities. It became prevalent when he learned of the concept of Gods being summoned as Servants. He had not met any of them yet up until now, but from what he was told, they were all Pseudo-Servants by limiting themselves to a vessel. In the case of one goddess calling herself Ishtar, she inhabited the body of someone called Rin Tohsaka. He assumed the same was true for Ereshkigal.

"Why were you staring at the Masters?" Pyrrha asked curiously. Realizing she had been caught, Ereshkigal's face lit up cherry red. "Is something the matter?"

"No, nothing! Nothing's the matter. It's just, er..."

"Oh, she's just jealous that Mash is getting Ritsuka-kun's attention and not her~"

Ereskigal scowled and glared daggers at the speaker, who conveniently appeared behind Ozma and Pyrrha. To their surprise, she looked exactly like Ereshkigal, but had black hair instead of blonde and her attire left little to the imagination, being little more than a white tube top and what could only be seen as black panties. Pyrrha found herself staring in wonder, cheeks tinged while Ozma was desperately looking to find something more interesting out of fear of ogling.

"Honestly, Eresh, can't you just go up there and give him a big smooch?" the woman snickered. "I think he'd certainly appreciate it."

"You are the last person I want to take love advice from, Ishtar." Ereshkigal hissed. "More importantly, what are you doing here? I thought you'd still be gambling away your gems and losing them."

Ishtar winced and faltered for a moment. "For your information, I simply heard that Chaldea had some new Servants and just came to greet them. Speaking of..." She turned to the two. "I assume you guys are the new arrivals? I am the Archer-class Servant, Ishtar. Think of me as Ereshkigal's older sister."

"Hah?! More like idiot younger sister! You keep putting yourself in debt and leave me out to dry and clean up your mess!"

"You stay out of this!" Ishtar snapped back. "I don't need someone who refuses to take action tell me that!"

"At least I don't gamble away my savings!"

And so what started off as a question ended up to be an escalating argument between Goddesses.

Pyrrha and Ozma looked back and forth between the two in wonder. "...you know, when I heard there were Goddesses here in Chaldea, I wasn't sure what to expect." the latter said. "I actually feared the worst...now I'm amazed Gods like this exist."

"They're...certainly a lot different than I imagined." Pyrrha nodded in agreement, then felt something brush up against her leg. Looking down, she saw a white-furred creature rubbing its head against her. "Oh, my." She bent down and scooped the creature up into her hands. "What in the world are you?"

"Fou!" the creature chirped before it wriggled out of her grasp and onto her head.

"H-hey..."

"...Fou." The white furry critter, Fou, leaped off of Pyrrha's head and into the hands of someone else. To the two's surprise, a little girl had been watching them from afar. She did not have the presence of a Servant, but she clearly didn't feel human, either. "No running off without telling me."

"Fou~" In spite of the scolding, the critter wagged its tail and licked her face.

"Oh, is he yours?" Pyrrha asked sweetly.

The girl shook her head. "Chaldea's mascot." she said simply. Fou chirped in affirmation as it made itself comfortable on her shoulder. She stared up at the red-haired young woman in front of her. "Are you...Pyrrha Nikos?"

"Oh, yes. That's me. Hello. Nice to..." She was cut off when the girl suddenly walked up to her and wrapped her arms around her waist. "...huh?"

"I'm sorry." That was all the girl said before she released Pyrrha and took off in another direction.

"What was that about?" Ozma wondered aloud.

* * *

It had taken a bit of doing, but Blake had finally managed to find a way back home to Menagerie. With everything that was going on, transportation was limited or any boats and flights out of the kingdom were being regulated. By some stroke of luck, she managed to convince the captain of a ship to let her on board by way of excuse. She claimed she was a Huntress and had the weapon to prove it. The captain seemed pretty desperate, so he never asked about her license. If he had, she would have to find another way out of Vale.

The cargo was currently being loaded on board the ship. She leaned up against the railing and waited patiently for them to take off. Taking her back to the people she had left on bad terms. 'It's been, what, two years since the last time I saw them?' she thought bitterly. 'Will they even want to see me?'

The last meeting with her parents hadn't been...the best. Who was she kidding, it went horribly. She shouted foul words at them, calling them cowards for leaving the White Fang while she stayed. She remained deaf to their pleas and their reasonings.

If only she had listened.

Maybe then, all of this would never have happened. She would never have met Adam and be spared a lot of grief, or had to see what would become of her father's organization. And maybe, more importantly, she never would have to see her best friend...

She sucked in a breath, trying to calm herself down as her knuckles turned white from how tightly she gripped the railing. The conversation fro when Ruby had called them all up was still very fresh in her mind, despite having occurred days ago. She should have known Yang would be angry with her. She knew what she had done was a dick move, especially considering Yang had abandonment issues. Her own birth mother left her for brothers' sake. She practically spit on their friendship, and chances are, it would be a very long while before she could ever face her former partner.

But maybe that was for the best. The farther they were all away from her, the better. Adam's words to her from the Fall of Beacon haunted her every time she closed her eyes, constantly reliving the moment in which she could do nothing but watch as he sliced off Yang's arm.

She was poison. She was hurting her friends just by being around them. If she stayed with them any longer...

 _'No. Stop. Just stop thinking about that!'_ her mind screamed at her after realizing where her thoughts were going.

She let out a sigh and tried to calm her nerves. She had been stressed out ever since she left Beacon and struck out on her own. The sooner she was out on the seas and on her way to Menagerie, the better. Or at least, so she hoped.

After a few more minutes of waiting, the boat finally began to move. Blake watched as it disembarked, pushing away from Vale and out into the open sea. She felt like it would be a long time before she ever got to see Vale again. Watching the land slowly pull further away until it was just a shape out on the horizon, she felt her Scroll buzz in her pants. She pulled it out and looked at the number, frowning.

"Ruby..."

She hesitated on whether or not to answer the call. Knowing that weapon nutty leader of hers, she was probably calling her to see how she was doing. She appreciated the thought, but she really didn't feel like talking to Ruby right now. Her finger hovered over the "deny" button, but stopped. She stared at her Scroll for several more seconds before she sighed again, this time in defeat, and pressed "accept."

A moment later, Ruby appeared on her screen.

"Hey, Ruby." Blake greeted with a weak smile.

"Hi, Blake." Ruby smiled with a wave. Her eyes showed her concern. "How are you doing?"

"Right now, relative well, I guess." She admitted. "How are things on your end?"

"Pretty good so far. We just got a village having Grimm problems. We managed to take care of it, and Jaune decided to upgrade his equipment." the silver-eyed girl snickered. "Oh, and get this! His hoodie has a goofy rabbit on the front! It's so hilarious!"

"Pft. Really?" Blake couldn't help but crack a smirk and stifle her laughter. In her mind, she was picturing Jaune in such a hoodie. She had to admit ti did look a tad ridiculous on him. To think his breastplate hid the logo all this time and none of them were the wiser. "That's hilarious."

"I know, right?!" After a moment of laughter, Ruby continued. "Anyway, we're still heading towards Haven. I'm hoping, maybe, we can get there before winter hits."

"Since the CCT is back online, though, wouldn't it be easier to just call and ask for transportation?"

"Tried." Ruby groaned. "Air transports are a no-go. Tons of air traffic, they said. Ever since the CCT came back online, Mistral has been helping refugees from Vale get settled in while offering relief aid. I'm happy that people are getting help and all, but I think we'll just have to stick with the initial plan and just walk our way there. How about you, Blake? Are you still heading for home?"

"Yeah. I just...I need time to clear my head is all."

Ruby nodded in understanding. Then her face shifted not-so-subtly. "Have you...tried talking to Yang yet?"

Blake's expression immediately fell. Looks like the topic WAS going to come up. "...Not yet."

"Why not? The CCT is back up again." Ruby pointed out.

"Sorry it's...complicated, Ruby. I've been busy lately and haven't been able to talk."

She tried to avoid the topic, but her leader was not having it. "But we're talking right now."

"Technically, you're the one who called me."

"Yeah, because I wanted to check up on you."

"And I thank you for that. But as you can see, I'm doing fine." She felt relieved that the conversation seemed to derail.

"If you're really fine, then why haven't you called Yang yet? You two didn't exactly end things on a high note last time." Ruby pointed out and got back on topic.

"It's not easy Ruby." Blake felt herself getting agitated. "She made it clear she didn't want to speak with me."

"That's not how I remembered." Ruby refuted. "You were the one who hung up first. Are you still bothered by what she said?"

"How could I not be?!" the dark-haired snapped from the emotional pressure. "Because she was right! I am a coward! I ran away! I've always been running! From the White Fang, from Adam, and now from her! It's...it's all I can do! If I'm not with her, then Adam would no longer target her...he and the Fang will be only focused on me."

Ruby fell silent from her friend's emotional outburst. She was honestly surprised. But as she processed her words, her expression grew solemn. "...Is running away going to solve all of your problems?"

Blake opened her mouth to retort...only to fall silent. Her mouth closed and scowled, realizing that no matter what words came to mind or what thought surfaced, her voice refused to leave her.

Ruby continued. "...Look. I get it. You and Yang didn't exactly end our last group call on a high note. I know you're scared of facing her after running away again."

"You don't know anything."

"Maybe I don't. But that doesn't mean I can't try to understand. I mean...I'm kinda in the same boat. I also ran away from home with Jaune, Ren, and Nora. I should've stayed to support my sister, but I ran away too. Even now, I can't help but wonder if I made the right choice."

"Then why didn't you stay instead?" Blake wondered.

"Because I know Yang. She's strong. Now matter how many times she gets beaten down, she always stands up again, stronger than ever. And I'm not just talking about her Semblance. I have faith that she'll get through this. And when she does, she'll find a way to catch up to us in Mistral...mostly because I can see her being really angry with me." She giggled nervously. "But even so...I know I'm nervous about facing her again. But seeing her again is only a matter of time, given how everything's absolutely crazy right now."

"...Not that I don't appreciate your words, but what's your point, Ruby?" the Faunus asked, letting the words sink in.

"My point is that running away is just delaying the inevitable. After everything that's happened, Team RWBY will reunite sooner or later. Even if you and Yang won't be able to mend things up right away, at the very least, you can let her know that you're sorry for what happened. Even though it's not your fault, you can still stay and apologize."

"And what makes you think she'll accept my apology?"

"You don't." Ruby pointed out. "Just like I don't know when we'll see each other again. But, I want to have faith. That, and..." She smiled brightly. "We're friends. And I mean, sure, we all left on a sour note, but we're Team RWBY! We're one of the best teams at Beacon!"

Blake stared at her leader for a moment before she shook her head. "You're naively optimistic, you know that?"

"Well, someone has to be!" she argued. It genuinely amazed Blake. Despite all that happened, their team getting disqualified from the tournament, Ruby losing Penny, Beacon falling, and Pyrrha's death, her leader was still able to keep a bright outlook.

If only she had that kind of strength.

"...if it makes you happy, I'll try and give Yang a shot."

The silver-eyed girl let out a sigh before grinning. "That's all I'm asking. Oh, by the way, been meaning to ask, but have you seen Sun at-" She was cut off when Blake heard the unmistakable sound of an explosion going off in the background. Ruby's eyes widened fearfully. "Oh no. Umigottagookaybyetalktoyoulaterblake!"

Blake blinked as the call was canceled. "...what the heck just happened?" She didn't even have time to ponder it when her Scroll went off again. Her eyes widened to the point where they threatened to pop out from their sockets.

Her mother was calling.

* * *

"...you want me to do what?"

"I apologize if this might come off as a bit of a rude request, but I was hoping you could help me out."

Ozma had arrived at Da Vinci's lab a few hours after the brief meeting with the little girl. He had originally intended to speak with the Fujimaru siblings, but rescinded the idea as they wouldn't know where to find Pyrrha's friend. Instead, he decided to speak with Da Vinci, since she was one of Chaldea's resident egg heads. Despite the red-haired girl's insistence that she was fine, he wanted to give the girl a chance for some closure. After all, she had a chance, which was more than he could say about himself.

The Caster pursed her lips. "Well, it isn't entirely possible. We are linked up with this CCT network, so finding this Jaune boy of hers won't be a problem."

"I'm feeling a 'but' coming on here..."

"The Masters still haven't decided whether or not we should get involved in Remnant." Da Vinci told him. "We were already pushing it by reconstructing that CCT Tower and bringing the network back online, a feat which I'm sure many are happy about, not to mention taking that petrified dragon thing back with us, but for the most part, we don't want to risk getting heavily involved. After all, this is another universe we're talking about, not a parallel world. Until now, this world knew nothing about Servants. Our very existence-no, the existence of Chaldea itself, for all we know, could change this world."

Ozma frowned. "I see what you mean. I've only met a few of the Servants here, but some would be able to fight even the Brother Gods. Perhaps even kill them. A feat I didn't believe to be possible."

"We've already given people a hint that we exist. It'd be better if we didn't press our luck." Da Vinci paused for a moment...then grinned widely. "Buuut I'm a sucker for romance! Give me a few minutes and I'll have Jauney boy's location in no time! Ooh, maybe I can use this as an excuse for to get those two lovebirds out on a date! Oh, you have no idea how maddening it is! Seriously, you'd think with all the downtime between Singularities and Lostbelts, they'd finally just hurry up and smooch each other to heck!"

Question marks danced over his head. What in the heck was this woman raving about? "I see you're still going on about Ritsuka-kun and Mash's love life." The Ruler-class Servant turned his head and found Solomon entering the room with a look of exasperation. "Have you nothing better to do?"

"Hush, Romani! The genius is working!"

"Yeah, a genius nutjob." Solomon deadpanned. "In case you haven't noticed, Ozma, Da Vinci is a rather eccentric. Then again, she'd have to be to model herself after her greatest art piece. At any rate, what's this about?"

"Well, I was asking if Da Vinci would be able to locate a friend of Pyrrha Nikos when she was alive. A man named Jaune Arc, I believe."

"Her friend while she was alive?" Solomon grew a complicated expression on his face. "I'm...not sure if that's such a good idea."

"What do you mean?" Ozma questioned.

"I mean, if Pyrrha really did perish in this world, and her friend knew about it, wouldn't it be strange to learn someone with her name trying to locate him? It would just open up a new can of worms."

"That's only if he knows." Ozma defended. "While I do understand that her existence is tied with Chaldea now, and chances are she may disappear from this world when Chaldea returns to its own dimension, she could at the very least see him one time."

"Even so..." Solomon did not look convinced.

Before Ozma could offer a rebutal, someone else decided to offer their own thoughts. "I think you should let her make the decision." A woman Ozma had yet to meet entered the room. A Master, evident by the red markings on her hand, and wearing green medical robes with bandages fashioned over the right side of her face. "Let her decide what she wants to do, instead of making the choice for her."

"I'm sorry, have we...?"

"This is Ophelia." Solomon introduced her. "She's one of the Masters here at Chaldea. She was put out of commission some time ago."

"I am getting better." the woman replied. "Nightingale believes I will be ready to perform my duties sometime within the week."

"I see. Anyway, you were saying about Pyrrha?"

"Yes. As I said, I believe it would be best to let her make the decision herself. It wouldn't do if she was forced into her role...she's experienced something like that already in her past life."

"Oh? She told you about her past?"

"She has. While she chose to accept the position given to her, her eyes told a different story."

Ozma nodded. "I learned as much from Nero. From what little I know of Pyrrha, she was called the Invincible Girl because, in all the time she spent training to become a Huntress, she has never once lost a battle up until the day of her death. Because of that, people put her on a pedestal."

"Explains why she was glowing after getting her ass handed to her." Solomon realized. "Pretty much everyone in Chaldea can beat her. Here, she's not invincible. She's just a normal girl who's now comrades with heroes and gods from another dimension, for God's sake."

"AHA! Found him~" Da Vinci announced in a sing-song tone, catching the Servants and Master's attention as she skipped over with a beaming smile. "Our lovely new Lancer's boyfriend just so happens to be in Mistral, along with the rest of his team and one other girl, Ruby Rose."

Ozma's eyes widened. "Ruby Rose?"

"You know her?"

"To an extent." Thanks to the memories of his older, more weary self. He couldn't help but chuckle. It seemed like that girl was just like how he was, assuming she was heading to Haven Academy to defend it. Ah, what memories. "I'll see to it that Pyrrha gets this. After that, well...what happens next is up to her, I suppose."

* * *

"You found him?" Pyrrha questioned upon learning the revelation.

Ozma nodded. "He's apparently in Mistral, traveling with your team and Ruby Rose. If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say they're going to Mistral Academy."

"Why?"

"To defend it, of course." the wanderer answered, much to her confusion. "Think about it like this, Pyrrha. A coordinated and sophisticated attack like the Fall of Beacon doesn't just happen overnight. The people who attacked Vale planned it, possibly for years, waiting for the right time to strike. They could have just simply wanted to raise negativity in the Kingdoms by causing chaos, but they went so far as to destroy the CCT, and in turn, bring down the whole network."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "...you think they'll try the same thing again at Haven?"

"It's a safe bet, especially now that Chaldea's brought the network back online and fixed the whole system." Ozma shrugged before returning to the main topic. "So, what are you going to do now?"

Pyrrha said nothing, simply staring at the ground. She was conflicted. She understood full well that her existence wouldn't last forever, be it with Chaldea or in this world. When Chaldea returned to their world, odds were that she would go with them. But, on the other hand, if something happened to Chaldea and the Masters died, she would disappear with finality. She would only return if a Holy Grail War began, which was doubtful since Remnant didn't have anything remotely close to something like that.

But, did that mean she didn't want to see Jaune again? Of course she did. She wanted to see him and their friends. She wanted to return to them, to reunite with Team JNPR. But she was also scared to how they would react as well. After all, she'd been dead for a few months now, and she was back from the dead. That was not normal. Would they react in fear or horror? Would they reject her?

Her fear and her desire battled each other inside of her mind while Ozma waited patiently for an answer. Something like this couldn't just be decided immediately, after all.

On one hand, she'd be able to see her friends again. On the other hand, she'd simply be giving them false hope. She just didn't know what to do.

"I..."

"You don't have to make a decision right away." Ozma told her. "If you don't want to, it's fine. I just thought you should know."

"...thank you, Ozma."

"Anytime, Pyrrha."

* * *

" _ **Raaaaaaaagh**_!"

A pair of axes came crashing down upon Mash's shield. Before, she would have struggled against the weight. Now, however, they felt considerably lighter. Her shield practically repelled them all by itself, knocking them back by resistance alone before she followed up with a bash, sending her opponent flying. She put more strength into the attack than she expected, however, as they crashed into the wall.

"Um..." Mash said weakly as she rubbed the back of her mind. "I'm sorry, Darius. I didn't expect my attack to be so-"

That was as far as she got before the dark-skinned Persian king came charging out from the cloud of smoke and debris, a toothy grin on his face. Mash focused again and swiftly dodged to the side, avoiding the attack before going in for another shield bash. However, her attack was stopped as she was forced to direct her attack below her and use the force to knock her upward and avoid a separate attack. She landed away from her attacker and smiled.

"Are you joining on training too, Asterios?"

The new fighter was a brawny figure with tanned skin covered in scars, hair pure white and eyes black-and-red with horns portruding from his forehead while wielding gigantic battle axes. With a wide smile, he nodded before he roared and charged straight at her again, Darius following after his fellow Berserker not far behind.

From up on the observation deck, Kadoc sweatdropped. "Whoa, hey hey hey. Are we sure this is okay? I mean, didn't she just get her powers back?"

"This was by her own decision." Sherlock replied. "She wanted to see what she could do, now that Galahad has offered his full powers to her. I must say, though, the difference between from her abilities during the Incineration Order and the Lostbelt incidents compared to now is fascinating. I wonder, is this because of the transferrence to this dimension, or is it something more?"

It was the truth. To compare her abilities now to back at the lostbelts was like comparing an elephant to a mouse. Although, it made sense since her abilities were now derived from a Heroic Spirit rather than artificially recreated through technology.

That said, it really was amazing. Gradually, her abilities and powers increased during the Singularities, no doubt as part of her becoming more accustomed to using Galahad's powers. Slowly, the Heroic Spirit was giving her strength. And as part of his test, he limited what she could truly do during the Lostbelts. Now, however, he gave her full access. It was a true testament to see her in such an impressive display of power and ability by watching her effortlessly take on two Berserker-class Servants. When it came to close-quarters combat, very few people could match the behemoth that was Darius.

"Even so, this is a bit much, don't you think?" Gudako frowned heavily. "I mean, sure, Mash's definitely gotten stronger. Like, a hell of a lot if what I'm seeing means anything, but she's taking on two Berserkers! And one of them is Darius! You know, the guy that doesn't know how to hold back once somebody gets his blood pumping?"

"Scratch that, make that three Berserkers." Kadoc cut-in grimly. "Lancelot just entered and-is he flying an airplane?!"

Sherlock returned his attention to the training room. The black knight was indeed soaring on top of an airplane, a jet fighter by the look of it, black and corrupted by the threads attached to the mad knight's armor. With a guttural roar, he swerved the plane around to hit Mash at full force, only for the girl to effortlessly dodge by using Asterios' attack to propel her back. As a result, it was the minotaur who was struck by the incoming plane. When the plane was on a collision course, Lancelot disengaged his control and leaped off, leaving his stead to crash and explode.

Thankfully for Chaldea's walls, the training room was exceptionally sturdy. Nothing short of a million atomic bombs going off inside all at once would destroy it. And gods know Sherlock's tested its endurance countless times and had to reinforce it with the amount of times it had been destroyed by the Servants going on a rampage.

"Where the heck did he even get an airplane?!" Kadoc demanded incredulously.

Gudako shrugged. "Same place where he somehow manages to pull out a gattling gun out of nowhere. Still, is Asterios okay?"

The smoke cleared, revealing the aforementioned Servants. He was stuck on the wall, slightly charred but no less for wear. With a grunt, he pulled himself out and landed back on the ground, giving the three observers a thumbs-up.

"Hm, not bad. I dare say Cabbage and Helena really outdid themselves. Not so much as a speck of damage." Sherlock smiled. "Aside from the scorch marks, of course."

Rather than wait for one of them to attack her, Mash took the initiative by throwing her shield forward. The action caught them off guard and struck Darius square in the chest. The shield rebounded and shot into the air while the behemoth staggered back and temporarily stunned. The shield returned to her and dashed forward, moving faster than the human eye could see and delivered a knee-strike to his abdomen. This knocked Darius upward into the air and left him open for a punch to the face that sent him grinding into the ground.

Asterios came up behind her, bringing down both of his axes down on her. She brought up the shield and deflected it easily, but was blindsided when Lancelot delivered a haymaker to her face. Her grip on her shield slackened and left go while she was knocked away, bouncing off the floor before she regained her senses and flipped back up to her feet. She looked up just in time to see Lancelot coming at her, shield in his hands. The shadows that caked his armor slithered over the shield.

Mash narrowed her eyes and held out her hand. From a flash of light materialized a sword. Galahad's sword. She unsheathed the blade and lunged for a quick stab that forced Lancelot back let he get skewered in the eye.

Gudako choked. "What the hell?! Since when could she use a sword?!"

"Did her class change to Saber?" Kadoc said with a hint of sarcasm.

Sherlock rubbed his chin. "Let's see how she uses a sword first."

With a deft hand, Mash brought the sword down and changed direction. Before the shadows could fully envelop the shield, she knocked it out of his hands, then moved with a spin, aiming for the torso.

Though he was a mind cursed with madness, Lancelot was still a formidable swordsman like any other self-respecting Knight of the Round. To him, while she performed the technique easily, she did not fully move into it. She was inexperienced, despite her level of control and ability. A mistake he easily capitalized on by grabbing the sword mid-swing with his gauntlet, then proceeded to ram his helm into her forehead.

The blow rattled Mash's skull. Her vision went blurry as the sounds of combat began high-pitched ringing in her ears. She had barely enough awareness to see Asterios launching himself at her, ax primed for an attack. She dodged and rolled to the side while trying to clear her head, but the minotaur was not about to less a precious opportunity pass him buy and let her recover.

After all...he had another ax.

With his free arm, he swung and slammed the flat end into Mash. The girl became winded as she was flung to the other side of the room. The force of the blow kicked up smoke and debris and obscured their view of the girl.

Darius, who spent this time recovering, managed to leap back up to his feet. He raised his hands and his axes returned. He scraped the edges along one another as a manic grin adorned his features. He leaped straight into the action once again and brought his weapons down, only to find them intercepted. The resulting shockwave of two forces meeting blew apart the smoke and revealed Mash, her armor slightly damaged but otherwise unharmed, sword held in front of her with one hand gripping the handle and the other against the flat, pushing back against the Berserker. She grounded her feet into the ground and shoved the Persian king off of her before she darted around him, making a beeline for her shield.

Her path was suddenly blocked by Lancelot, who dashed in front of her and was now wielding his signature sword. " _ **SHrrrRaaaAgH**_!"

Mash winced. "Oh boy."

Arondight slammed into the sword she hastily raised to block. The force of the blow sent her reeling. Enough so that she skidded back several meters, and directly into Asterios' range. She jumped and angled her body so that the blades flew over and below her, barely missing her and delivering a heel strike to his jaw, knocking him away and crashing right into Darius for a time. Lancelot, however, was not about to let her regain the advantage and threw Arondight straight at her. She ducked into a crouch, evading it and rolling to the side to avoid him charging right at her.

As she rolled back onto her feet, she made a dash for her shield, unperturbed by the servant standing in her way. She slid and grabbed hold of the shield. When she did, the sword was dismissed.

Sherlock took note of this. "Hm, curious. It would appear she cannot use a sword and her shield simultaneously. A back-up weapon, then. Intriguing."

"Wait a minute...I think I remember that sword." Gudako recalled. "Didn't she get it back in the Sixth Singularity? In Camelot?"

"Did she?" Sherlock tilted his head. "It's been so long. Hmph, to think my memory has started to become spotty. Raoul would be laughing his head if he could see this."

Kadoc quirked an eyebrow. "Raoul?"

"Oh, a lovely roguish fellow. I imagine he'd be an Assassin, though killing was never his forte. You might know him better as-"

He was stopped mid-sentence when a familiar charge of power began to swell in the air. All attention fell on Darius, whose body began to radiate a violet glow.

"Is he seriously activating his Noble Phantasm here?!" the red head demanded. "I thought this was supposed to be a test, not a fight!"

"I think we passed that point a long time ago."

Mash sighed and shook her head. Darius always did get too excited whenever a fight was going on. His fever would only get worse whenever Iskander or Alexander, or heaven forbid both versions of the King of Conquerors were on the field at once. That said, she did find this to be a good opportunity. She closed her eyes and pulled in the power resting in her core. Her shield began to radiate an ephemeral glow. She slammed the shield into the ground, directly in front of her.

Just before either could release their Noble Phantasms, the voice of her sempai rang out. "HOLD IT!"

The swell of power subsided. Mash looked up at the observation deck in confusion. "Senpai?"

"Confound it, Ritsuka, you ruined a most excellent moment for us to see how powerful Lord Camelot is at full power." Sherlock bemoaned. Ritsuka, on the other hand, looked ecstatic for some reason, as his eyes were glimmering and a wide smile on his face. It took the Ruler-class Servant half a second to realize what the look was. "Oh dear."

Kadoc sighed. "So much for not getting involved."

By now, everyone in Chaldea recognized that look of his. He had begun to develop the look sometime during the events of the Singularities. No matter how many events transpired that would otherwise illicit a person to react with fear and terror, he began to grow excited. Especially if it meant he could help someone along the way, as was the case of during the Babylonia Singularity.

Gudako smiled wryly. "Welp. I'll start packing. So, where are we going and who are we helping?"

"One of our newest friends, of course!" Ritsuka grinned. "Get Ozma and Asterios! We're headin' for Mistral!"

* * *

Outside of Chaldea, the amnesiac girl sat atop the top of the facility as she stared up at the broken moon hanging overhead. At her side was Fou, sitting on her shoulder and also admiring the beauty of the shattered celestial body.

"Things are starting to happen." she noted. "Something wonderful is starting..." A small smile touched her face as she put a hand to her chest. "I can feel it."

Though she could not remember herself, her past or Remnant, she did understand something about Chaldea. It was that they somehow had the power to overturn things as trivial as fate.

"I can't wait..."

* * *

Servant Analysis Complete

Subject: Remnant Heroic Spirit, Classification Lancer - Pyrrha Nikos

Name: Pyrrha Nikos  
Class: Lancer  
Alignment: Neutral Good

Parameters:  
-Strength: C  
-Endurance: B  
-Agility: B  
-Mana: D  
-Luck: C-  
-Noble Phantasm: D++

Class Skills:  
-Magic Resistance: E  
[One who fought against the might of magic and chose to defy fate, despite her inevitable end]  
-Riding: D  
[Traveled across landmasses to learn how to fight and meet new people]

Personal Skills:  
-Invincible Girl: B  
[Hailed for her reputation of being untouchable in battle]  
-Charisma: B  
[A warrior who has qualities of a leader, yet humble. Rather than take the role of leadership, she greatly helped her partner who is more suited to a role than she.]  
-Tactics: C  
[An experienced fighter who strategizes in the midst of battle, using the resources at her disposal to secure victory]  
-Protection from Arrows: D  
[Due to the nature of her Polarity Semblance, metal projectiles are repelled and useless against her. She fought countless battles redirecting attacks aimed at her. However, this is limited to metal weapons, and ironically met her end with an arrow through the heart.]

Noble Phantasm: Bonds of Juniper: Stalwart Will of the Invincible Girl: D++ ~ C  
[The public revered her as a champion of strength and indominatble will. Her friends remembered her as the girl who fought for the sake of being seen for who she was. If she so desires, she would gladly embrace the views of the world. For the sake of her friends, she would raise her shield and fight with all her might.]

 _I finally found friends who cherish me for who I am. True friends who saw me not as the Invincible a girl, but Pyrrha Nikos. But for their sake, I shall don the mantle once more. To protect them, and defeat those who would dare hurt them!_


	6. Intermission 1

_Not much to say here, except that this chapter is a bit on the short side, namely because it's an Intermission. Also, Daemon did not help me out with this chapter._

 _Actually, serious question for you guys. Before, I'd get e-mails and notifications from FFnet, like people following or favoriting me or my fanfics, as well as PM. I still get those notifications, but I don't get any notifications about people sending me PMs. Anyone else experiencing this problem?_

 _In the meantime, enjoy~_

* * *

 **A Fate/Grand Order x RWBY Crossover:  
 _"Chaldea in Remnant"_**

* * *

 **INTERMISSION: Burn My Dread**

Yang threw a punch, followed by a second. A jab, then elbow strike, followed by a roundhouse kick. Her body was constantly in motion, wailing on the sandbag in front of her that recoiled with each strike. Her attacks gradually grew faster, each blow landing in the same place. Punch, punch, jab, elbow strike, roundhouse kick. She repeated the motion over and over until the sandbag groaned and weakened, slowly being pushed further and further away from its center.

Then, Yang threw a right straight.

The chains snapped and the sandbag was sent flying through the air before coming down a second later, crashing down to the ground. She panted heavily as she took a few steps back, sweat caking her skin. She was still in her combat stance and her adrenaline was still pumping through her veins. Her workout clothes, now soaked, clung to her body. Her sweats were rubbing against her legs uncomfortably and not helping was the fact that said sweats were made of wool-like material, making her legs itch. Her top was see-through, though thankfully she was wearing a sports bra, plus it wasn't as if she was afraid of showing the sight to her father, who had seen it countless times whenever he supervised her training.

As the adrenaline died down, Yang deeply exhaled. The tension drained from her body and lowered her fists, dropping her stance before she stared at her right hand, slowly curling and flexing her fingers before closing it into a fist.

"Gotta hand it to Atlas, they really know how to make some kick-ass prosthetics." Yang remarked, examining her hand with newfound interest. "Miiight look a little cooler with a new paint job, though. How'd you say you get this, Dad?"

"The General put in a good word for me." Taiyang told her. As always, he was sitting on the log with Zwei at his side, the adorable corgi that brought him out of his funk holding a towel in his mouth. He had been watching her patiently, observing her silently as she practiced her routine. When she stopped to take breaks, he offered her advice and suggestions. "Said it was the least he could do. How's your new arm working for you, champ?"

"Like a dream!" Yang grinned, forming a victory sign with her new hand.

It had been a week since she decided to attach the arm to her stump. Her motor reflexes were still shot to hell, but she was slowly getting used to her new limb. She could move it and flex her fingers like she would with a flesh-and-blood arm, but in combat she could only manage basic movements. Simple jabs and straights were fine, but more complex techniques and fast-paced combat that involved both arms moving at once were more difficult.

Yang wished that using a prosthetic was as easy as connecting her nerves to it and treat it like it was more than just a limb-shaped piece of metal, but technology hadn't exactly advanced to that point yet. Her stump was a stump, with just a piece of metal wrapped around it so she could attach the artificial limb to it. The way Taiyang explained it, the prosthetic moved the way it did because it was "feeling" her nerves react, treating the arm as being part of its network or something like that. She really didn't get it, but she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth and tried to adjust to it.

"Well, keep this up, and you'll be swinging your arm around like before."

"How long do you think that'll take me?"

"Give or take a few months." Yang frowned at that. "Hey, now. Don't give me that look, sweetheart. This isn't like a comic book or those shows you watch. For most people, it can take years to get used to a prosthetic limb. Sure, folks like you who spend their days fighting and practicing their techniques can get used to them faster, but it isn't going to happen right away. You just need to be patient."

The brawler bit her lip. She understood where her dad was coming from, but she felt like she didn't have the time to be patient. There was a lot she needed to do once she could see that she could fight with her new arm properly. She took a quick look at the sandbag, then at herself. She furrowed her brows and put her left arm to her nose, only to pull her head away in disgust.

"I'm gonna hit the showers."

"Alright. Me and Zwei will set this back up, then. You still have twenty more reps to do, little lady."

Yang gave Taiyang a mock salute. "Aye-aye, great gym master Taiyang."

Her father grinned and waved her off before he and the corgi immediately set off to work. She left them to their devices and returned to the house, making her way to the bathroom. She discarded her clothes into the laundry bin as she shut the door behind her, then proceeded to undo the band holding her hair up into a ponytail. As she set up the bath, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. More specifically, at the woman she had become. She stared at the girl reflected back and frowned.

Before the CCT had been restored and the network was back online, she had ignored the signs of bitterness. Wallowing in her own depression and anger over something she never stopped to think about. She couldn't help but compare it to the woman she had met moments before the breach in Vale. It was brief and only happened for a few seconds, but Yang could vividly recall seeing those red eyes, so similar to hers when she was angered, full of bitter anger.

Yang treasured her long hair, though it wasn't out of some notion that she wanted to become closer to her birth mother. Rather, it was for a sentimental reason. When she was maybe three or four and her hair came down to her shoulders, Summer had told her she looked beautiful long hair. It was one of the few things Yang remembered so fondly before she left and never came home. Her startling resemblance to her birth mother was coincidence, though part of her did like to think she felt a little closer to a woman she didn't even remember.

After the Fall of Beacon, she spent her days wallowing in misery, wondering if she had been abandoned all over again. Someone upstairs must have been taking pity on her or something, because now she was slowly getting back up on her feet. There was once again a passionate flame lit in her lilac eyes.

And yet, even when she was pushing herself to get back where she once was, she couldn't help but see the bitter woman she used to be staring back at her, overlapping with the image of that masked woman.

Raven Branwen.

Yang stared at her reflection a moment longer before she entered the shower. She removed her prosthetic and the attachment from her stump and placed it on the bathroom counter before she entered the shower. Seconds later, she was lathered and soaked as she scrubbed herself down. As she did, she thought back to her time with Team RWBY. Of the many wonderful and precious memories she had, along with the bitter ones.

Team RWBY's first day. Forever Fall. The argument between Weiss and Blake. The night at the docks. The meeting with the White Fang. Mountain Glenn. The Vytal Festival. The Battle for Beacon.

And to think, it's been nearly half a year since Beacon. Team RWBY was split up, but Ruby, her adorable and kickass little sister, was still fighting and pushing forward. Whereas she was just sitting around and doing nothing.

That had to change.

After twenty minutes, Yang exited the shower. After wiping herself down and throwing on a new set of clothes, she wiped away the steam covering the mirror and looked back at her bitter self, glaring at it. The staring contest against her reflection lasted for a minute or so before she turned away to reconnect the attachment and prosthetic before she dug through the drawers.

"Come on, where is it? I know Dad has a habit of-aha! Here we go..."

She pulled out the item she had been seeking since she came to a decision in the bathroom. She took one last look at her reflection before she moved her left arm, grabbing her hair and pulling it back into a ponytail, just to the point where everything above her fingers was at chin-level. She closed her eyes, offering a silent apology to Summer before she put the scissors to her long mane...

 _...and let her golden locks rain down to the sink._

* * *

The sight of Atlas at night was a thing of beauty, but for Ironwood, there was a certain somber feeling to it. Sure, the cityscape lit like a Christmas tree, coupled with the dark and dreary cloudy sky up above and the moon hanging up above, gave it a look of beauty, but underneath that beauty there was a slowly growing frustration. Below, the people of Mantle were growing angry because of the Council's own lackluster response to the situation. Despite his best efforts, he could do nothing but watch with frustration as his colleagues all squabbled with each other, pointing fingers and vetoing ideas that could potentially benefit both Mantle and Atlas.

Not helping matters was Jacques. Somehow, the bigot got the idea to try and get himself involved in politics, using his connections no doubt. The electoral campaign was a few months away, what with the Council Secretary of Welfare resigning due to his poor health. With an open spot on the Council, everyone was aiming to take that seat.

Ironwood sighed deeply as he rubbed his brow.

Jacques Schnee, above all else, was a business man. An equal opportunist. When he saw an advantage, he would use it with every ounce of his being and milk it for all that it was worth. It was how he got his hands on the Schnee Dust Company. He married into the family, all so he could lean and whisper in Nicholas Schnee's ear. Now that he had the position he longed for, all that was left was for him to establish a name for himself, as well as a legacy. He certainly already accomplished that first task, seeing as how Faunus had become disillusioned with the company under his leadership due to his questionable labor laws and whatnot. Of course, Ironwood wanted to believe that half of that was Jacques and the other half was the Board members looking to make a profit.

The idea that someone like that could potentially find himself as a Council Member, much less as the Council Secretary of Welfare, did not sit well with him. However, his hands were tied. Being a Council Member himself, he could not interfere with Jacques once he had made his intentions of running for the vacant seat known. By law, all Council Members were not allowed to impede, sabotage or interfere with an individual who was running in the Campaign.

There was, however, one loophole Ironwood knew he could abuse to his heart's content, however.

Now that the network was restored and the CCT all functioning properly, Ironwood needed to act. If he couldn't get the Council to wake up and open their eyes to the bigger picture like Ruby Rose was, he had to do it himself consequences be damned. Who knew when Salem's agents would strike again? Who was to say they would stop at Beacon Academy? What if they would attack other Kingdoms? With how high tensions were getting between Mantle and Atlas, one side living in poverty and struggling to get by and the other side living comfortably off of their hard labor, someone needed to mend the bridge before it collapsed.

As he stared out the window, dueling with unpleasant thoughts, a knock came to his door. "Sir? You have a visitor."

"Send her in."

The door opened. Ironwood turned and smiled wryly. Entering his office was a young woman with tanned skin and violet eyes, her light-blond hair is tied in a ponytail with a beauty mark under her right eye and another one on the left side under her mouth, an olive scarf adorned with a bird brooch wrapped comfortably around her neck.

"Robyn Hill, I presume?" The woman nodded. "Please, take a seat. We have quite a bit to discuss..."

* * *

 _Short, but straight to the point. And showing the changes that Chaldea has unintentionally caused by restoring the CCT network. Like Ironwood sponsoring Robyn Hill in her own run for a seat on the Council._

 _Also, fun fact. In Japan, a person who cuts their long hair is usually seen as a huge change for them. So, Yang getting herself a new do is the start of her own change. And honestly speaking, who_ doesn't _want to see Yang Xiao-Long with short hair?_

 _Btw, a new poll is up on my page, but it probably won't show up right away when this chapter is published._


	7. Chapter 6

_For clarification in regards for Yang's haircut, think of Bach Do's Ruby 3.0 artwork for Yang. But just the hair._

 _Also for clarification, regarding the poll, if you guys chose "no" Ritsuka will not have a harem and will strictly be paired with Mash. Sorry if I made the wording a little confusing._

 _In other news, I'm here to bring you a new chapter. Welcome home, Pyrrha. Mistral's missed you._

 _Enjoy~_

* * *

 **A Fate/Grand Order x RWBY Crossover:**  
 _ **"Chaldea in Remnant"**_

* * *

 **Fate/06: The Return Home, A New Legend**

Qrow swung Harbinger in an arc, the blade cutting through air and chopping off the head of the last couple of Grimm that strayed far too close to Ruby's camp. The heads flew through the air and bounced off the ground, rolling around like balls before they eventually went still. Seconds later, the freshly made corpses began to dissipate into black wisps of smoke. He stared at the bodies for a few short seconds before the tension left his body and he sighed, hefting Harbinger to his shoulder. He glanced behind him and saw that none of the kids had heard the disturbance or noticed the fighting, all four of them sleeping soundly in their sleeping bags.

"Really, kiddo, you could try and have somebody stay up and keep a lookout..." Qrow groused, his weapon shifting back to its smaller form and slipped it back into its holster. He proceeded to dust off his clothes and went for his flask.

When Ruby and the kids left Patch, making their way for Haven Academy, Taiyang had called him up and asked him to look after her. Honestly, it would have been easier to just ask him to grab the kids and drag them back home by the hair, but they both knew how stubborn Ruby could be. That, and Qrow thought she had a good head on her shoulders. Despite the circumstances behind what happened at Beacon, she had grown stronger for it. Started to think things through. Learned how to become a better leader.

He only wished it was under better circumstances.

At any rate, their journey to Haven was going to be a difficult one. Despite the fact that the CCT was back and running, the unofficial Team JNPR was forced to trek through Anima because air transport was still in a damned tizzy or so they claimed. Honestly, what the heck was Lionheart thinking? He could spare a ship for Brothers' sake. It was just one ship, and the kids were trained. They knew how to fight and had survived Beacon. They would have been invaluable, so what was stopping him from arguing his case?

Qrow sighed again and took another swig of his flask. He pondered whether or not he should just get answers from the idiot himself before he felt his Scroll vibrate in his pants pocket. A knowing smile formed on his face as he screwed the cap of his flask back on and threw it inside his coat before he pulled out his Scroll and proceeded to answer it without so much as looking at the caller ID.

"What took you so long?"

"I don't know, you tell me." Oh, how he had missed the irate voice of Glynda Goodwitch. "I've been spending the last few weeks establishing defensive borders around Beacon while repairing it while also sprouting gray hairs arguing with the Council. And just where the hell have you been doing?"

"Ah, keep your panties on, Glynda. I'm in Mistral. Tai asked me to look after Ruby and her friends." Qrow rolled his eyes while smiling. Despite the clear sounds of annoyance in her voice, there was no denying there was relief in there also. "I heard the CCT in Vale got repaired, though that's kind of obvious since we're talking. There a story behind that?"

The Vice-Headmistress, or Headmistress now he supposed since Ozpin was gone, sighed. "There is, but in all honesty, I am as confused as you are. Either way, if I see those strangers again, I can and will thank them. For their sake, however, I sincerely hope they don't plan on returning anytime soon. The Council has been attempting to find them and demand answers."

"Don't blame 'em, though. Everyone wants answers." A pause. "Hey, Glynda. Have you gotten any word about _that_?"

"...I was hoping you would have."

He scowled. "Damn. Guess he hasn't found them yet. Was hoping he would. Anyway, there a reason you decided to finally ring me up now or is this a social call?"

Surprisingly, Glynda didn't rise to the bait. That sounded alarm bells, more so when her voice became tight. "When the CCT came back online and our mystery friends helped thin the Grimm's numbers, I contacted James and Lionheart. The discussion was...worrying."

A cold shudder ran down his back. "How?"

"Lionheart has left Haven Academy virtually unguarded."

"What?!" That didn't make any sense! After the Fall of Beacon, Leo didn't take precautions to safeguard Haven and the relic?! Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

"It was a shock for us as well. I have no idea what Lionheart is thinking, but there is definitely something amiss." Glynda elaborated.

"Yeah, no kidding. So what do you want me to do?"

"Given how you said Miss Rose and the remainders of Team JNPR are in Misstral, I assume they're headig to Haven?"

"Well, that was her plan. Why?"

"How are they traveling?"

Qrow's face soured further. "By foot. They did try calling for an air bus, but they said they couldn't spare any Bullheads. I call bull on that." Unease began to settle in his body. "Hey, Glynda. You don't think..."

"...James said it was possible he was compromised." Glynda admitted heavily. "And you and I both know how Leonardo felt about becoming Headmaster. I'm hoping we're wrong on this."

"Same here. Hate to find out if the worst case scenario is happening..." he frowned.

"Just make sure they get to Haven safely, Qrow."

"Don't worry. Already planned on doing that."

The call ended shortly after that. Qrow growled in frustration as he slipped the Scroll back into his pocket. "Dammit, Leo. What are you doing?"

* * *

"Have a safe trip, lad!"

"You too!"

Francis Drake gave the gathered group a wide grin before she spun the wheel, the Golden Hind lurching to its side as it turned and made its way back to Chaldea. Pyrrha waved at the pirate as she thanked her profusely for bringing them to Mistral before she looked back at the entrance of her homeland. It felt odd to think this, yet the way the trees seemed to bristle and the leaves shiver in the wind almost made it look as if Anima itself was welcoming her back.

It felt like she was coming home.

Her mind was like a maelstrom. She felt anxious and wanted to see Jaune as soon as possible, but at the same time, she was fearful of encountering him. Would he be hostile towards her and think her as an imposter? Would he be happy? She didn't know. The same thoughts extended towards her teammates and friends. Were Ren and Nora doing alright? Were they with Jaune? Were her friends from team RWBY safe as well?

"Hellooooo. Earth to Pyrrha!"

The Mistral Champion smiled apologetically at one of her new companions. "Sorry. Were you saying something?"

Ritsuka sighed and shook her head. Off to the side, Ozma was stifling a laugh with his hand. The former was no longer in his black attire. Instead, he was wearing a pale blue shirt underneath an olive green jacket with a hoodie, coupled with cargo pants with a holster strapped to his left thigh. Completing the ensemble were combat boots that reached to his calves, fingerless gloves and a gray scarf.

Kadoc has also changed attire as well. Instead of his gray sweater, he had chosen to wear a blue parka with black fur lining the hood and cuffs of his sleeves. Underneath the parka was a black-and-white striped shirt with jeans and sneakers, a studded belt around his waist.

"He was asking you if you were excited about the trip." her official Master told her. "Mistral is where you were born, right?"

Pyrrha nodded. "Yes, though if we're speaking city-wise, I was born in Argus." Her smile became slightly strained. "In truth, I'm hoping we can avoid it. My family lives there and I'm...not sure if I'm ready to speak with them just yet."

"Understandable, I suppose." Ozma nodded. "After all, I imagine it would be quite awkward trying to explain to your family how it is your still alive."

"I'm surprised Gudako-senpai didn't ask to join us, though." Mash remarked. "I thought she would have loved to get out of Chaldea."

Ritsuka chuckled. "We did the usual thing, decide who goes and who stays and makes sure nobody tries to kill each other while we're going." At Pyrrha's confused expression, he began to explain. "Whenever we had to deal with Singularities or Lostbelts, we took turns dealing with the situation. We could only bring so many Servants with us. Plus, Romani said that, if either of us failed, it was best to make sure we had someone on standby in case anything happened." He paused as he smiled sheepishly. "And to make sure the Servants didn't try to kill each other. Not sure if you've noticed, but some of the guys back in Chaldea have a few problems with certain Servants. You've met Achilles, right?"

She had met him, and it was an exhilarating experience. Every so often, especially after she had been beaten to hell and back by the Roman and Greek Servants, she would accept challenges and spars from other Servants that wanted to test her mettle. She was more than happy to do so. Being summoned in Chaldea had been like a dream come true for her. Here, her status as the Invincible Girl was shattered to pieces and then tossed into the dumpster. She had lost more fights than she won, and what few fights she did win, they more than made her work for it. Achilles in particular had been one of the people who made her work for her victory.

He was a bit of a flirt as she soon realized, but that ended not long after he realized her heart belonged to another man. He was still nonetheless a good person and even gave her some instructions on how to fight with her weapon while it acted as a spear. Between him and Cu Chulainn, she found several worthwhile instructors.

"I have. Does he have any enemies in Chaldea?"

Kadoc scoffed. "More like a jilted lover if you ask me. When he was alive, he pissed off Penthesilea by telling her she looked beautiful instead of complimenting her strength. She's hated his ass ever since."

Pyrrha and Ozma winced. "Oh, my..."

"They have gotten better, but there are still some issues." Ritsuka sighed. "And believe it or not, but Achilles and Pen's problems are tame compared to others."

"And remarkably violent." one of the Servants underneath Ritsuka's command remarked. A man dressed in dark robes with sleeves that were far too long as she couldn't see his hands anywhere and a hood pulled over his head. His eyes were a brilliant bright blue, silvery hair spilling down past his shoulders and to his waist and becoming dark purple the close it reached to the end. At his side was a bizarre staff, if it could be called that, a worm-like thing wrapped around the shaft with a blue flame burning from its tail.

This was Asclepius, a Caster-class Servant and doctor. He had served as Chaldea's chief medical officer during the Lostbelt incidents until Ritsuka and Gudako managed to successfully retrieve Nightingale after they had been forced to leave Chaldea following the Lostbelt version of Anastasia's attack.

"Yeah, that too." Ritsuka sighed in dismay. "Remind me again, when did me and Gudako starting running a daycare for Servants?"

Kadoc scoffed. "Speak for yourself. You idiots dragged me into your weird menagerie."

At this, Ritsuka grinned. "Aw, come on Kadoc old buddy. You know you love us!"

"So help me, Fujimaru, if you hug me I will murder you."

Pyrrha sweat-dropped and looked to Asclepius. The doctor looked unconcerned with the two in spite of the fact that one looked ready to murder the other if Ritsuka tried something. "Are they...always like this?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Asclepius nodded. "Yet in spite of such banter, they consider each other comrades. That, and as much as he likes to deny it, Master Kadoc owes Master Ritsuka a life debt he feels he must repay. The same applies to Master Ophelia as well. Anyways!" He cleared his throat. "What can we expect to encounter here in Mistral while we search for your comrades?"

"Well, given the nature of the continent of Anima, it would be common to see numerous villages outside of the main Kingdom's walls. However, due to them lacking the defensive measures of Mistral, they are vulnerable to Grimm attacks or bandit raids." Pyrrha said factually. "So don't be surprised to see many empty or lifeless villages along the way. Anima is also home to the world's largest underworld. Because the territory is so large, not enough Huntsmen or law enforcers are able to cover everywhere. As a result, crime is more common as you think the further you are away from the Kingdom."

"And seeing as we are on the continent's borders, it should be safe to assume that we would face off against numerous criminals." Ascelpius asked. The lancer nodded.

"Correct. In particular, one of the most notorious criminals in the area is Raven Branwen."

"What is she known for?"

"She leads a bandit tribe and has been terrorizing the people of Anima for several years. Many know when to steer clear of them as much as possible. They raid villages for supplies and valuables. She also employs hit and run tactics from what little I've heard. She attacks a village to stir up negativity and then retreats. Then she attacks again after the Grimm knock on their front doorstep."

Asclepius' eyes narrowed. "...I see."

Mash frowned. "I don't understand, why would she attack innocent civilians? Wouldn't it be easier just to attack other criminals and take their valuables instead?"

"Less risk involved." Ozma answered the Shielder sadly. "As Pyrrha said, the villages have less protection. Compared to others, they are easy targets. That makes it no less tragic, however."

For as long as he lived, Ozma had seen his fair share of atrocities. But while his expression didn't show it, he could feel nothing but disappointment and regret over Raven.

After all, it was the result of one of his lives that she treads the path she is on now.

Ignorant of Ozma's thoughts, Mash looked to Ritsuka, who had long since ceased his banter with Kadoc once mention of villages being raided was brought into the equation. "Senpai, what do you think we should do if we encounter this woman?"

"That's kind of obvious, don't you think?" Ritsuka replied before falling silent, his face turning contemplative. "Though we should probably keep your true abilities down to a minimum. We were already taking a risk back at Vale. People are looking for the ones who restored the CCT tower. We don't need to draw any further attention to ourselves."

Kadoc scoffed. "Now your speaking caution?" Nonetheless, he did agree with his fellow Master. They couldn't afford drawing unwanted attention to themselves anymore. "So, where do we start looking for Arc?"

"Assuming they're still on foot, Da Vinci's system put them close to a village named Shirohana."

Pyrrha's eyes lit up. "I know that place. It was where I had Milo and Akuo forged. It's mostly a trading village, but they most of their profit forging weapons. It's also one of the few villages that has guaranteed protection from the kingdom." After saying that, her smile dimmed. "Though after Beacon's fall, that might have changed..."

"Given how the CCT was down before our arrival, communication must've been cut off." Ozma realized. "Furthermore, due to the incident in Vale, the other Kingdoms would no doubt be cautious or suspicious. I wouldn't be surprised if they receded behind their walls."

"Well, it's all speculation at this point. We won't know the truth unless we find it ourselves." Ritsuka said. "Everyone? Let's move out."

And so, for the first time in months, Pyrrha returned home to Anima.

* * *

Salem considered herself a patient woman. It wouldn't be hard not to, what with her scheming for what must have been hundreds, if not thousands of years, studying and planning how to best keep humanity at odds with one another. Unlike the cliche villains from the movies and books and games humanity spawned over the years from their fervent imagination, she didn't seek out humanity's destruction. Their deaths were useless to her. What was the point, besides it showing Ozpin that all of his plans were for naught?

To her, the easier solution was always the simplest. A lesson she had learned when she was first cursed with immortality for her crime of innocently wishing to have her loved one returned to her.

 _'The hearts of men are so easily swayed.'_

Humans lived through their emotions. Their history was covered in bloods just as it was extending their hands. It was within their nature to be united, but at the same time their bonds were so easily broken with naught but the slightest seed of doubt. Destruction was easy, there was no doubt about that. But Salem was nothing if not vindictive. She wanted to prove to Ozpin that, for all of his bluster and spiel about humans being able to accomplish things when united, they could so easily be brought to stabbing each other in the back.

She could not think of any better way to spite him, especially given his goal.

It was if they were living out a drama written by a playwright whose specialty was tragedy. They were lovers once upon a time, and his death was what caused her to seek out the gods. When they spurned her for such an innocent wish and rallied all of humanity against them, they gave her a worse punishment. That accursed pool that should have brought an end to her had instead made her into a monster. Every day, her mind was clawing and screaming at her to destroy everything around her. Yet in her despair and loneliness, all she sought was loneliness. To wallow in her misery.

Oh, she had been so happy when her love returned to her. Though his face was different, she could never mistake such wonderful eyes.

Salem could never have understood back then that he was different. He was still clinging to the gods, the bastards that had ruined her life all to maintain the "natural order." Yet even so, she could say that those days were the happiest they had been.

Because they were free.

Her face twisted into solemn anger. "...or we would have been."

In the end, Ozma's return was of the Brothers' orchestration. To reunite humanity and see if they were worthy of judgement of the gods and whether or not they were worthy of their so-called "guidance." She could remember the fury she once felt from hearing those damned words, but after that conversation, she had calmed. She could understand Ozma's point then. They had lived in an era where they lived on the guidance of the Brothers. Granted, their world was far from perfect. Corrupt kingdoms and nobles existed, but they knew that if they stepped out of line, they would become subject to the Brothers' wrath.

Perhaps, if given time, Salem could make him understand. To see that they weren't shackled anymore. That they could enjoy their freedom and throw those relics away. If given time.

And yet, the moment their precious daughters were caught in the crossfire of their differences, of their clash of ideals, that hope was irrevocably destroyed.

Salem forgave Ozma. She forgave him for his misguided ideals.

But she would never forgive Ozpin for murdering their family. She swore, on that day, she would make his life an eternal living hell.

And she was nothing if not patient.

Given his fate bestowed to him by the Gods, he would continue to reincarnate into a different vessel over and over until his task of uniting humanity was complete. He would never find rest until he finished his job.

Unfortunately for him, she was immortal, and would forever hunt down and plague him for his transgressions until he finally gave in.

But where she was patient, he was persistent. For countless years they have engaged in this vicious cycle, this secret war against each other. This fight had been going on without end, one constantly countering the other. Yet not too recently, Salem had managed to score the first step to utterly breaking him.

Cinder had killed him. Beacon had fallen. The CCT was destroyed and humanity was separated from each other. The kingdoms had begun to pull back and focus on self-preservation. Hiding behind their walls and hoping for the best.

...until now, that is.

It was annoying, not to mention infuriating, that some unknown variable had suddenly appeared and managed to do the impossible. With Vale under threat with Grimm, especially with them so focused around Beacon Academy, it should have taken them years to repair the CCT. And yet, not only had the Dragon Grimm that had stirred awake and was turned to stone on account of Ruby Rose happening to awaken to her silver eyes at that exact moment been removed, but the CCT was repaired within the span of hours.

 _Hours_.

Suffice to say, her monumental patience had somehow started to become thin. Yet even so, she refused to become infuriated by this setback.

Instead, she wanted to know exactly who appeared to cause this apparent miracle and who they were aligned with. As such she assigned her subordinates to investigate the matter. They were to uncover any leads regarding these unknowns and learn more about them, in addition to the tasks she set them on.

She did not know of their goals. Either they were neutral, or they planned to assist Ozpin's faction. If they were the latter, then they would be additional obstacles to take care of. However, if they were the former, then it could be opportunity for her. With such unique skill sets, they'd almost certainly be invaluable.

And after all, _the hearts of men can so easily be swayed_.

Salem smiled to herself.

All it took was just finding out where to strike...

* * *

The sun had just begun to set when Ritsuka and the team arrived at Shirohana. At first glance, it was a relatively small community with concrete and brick houses with straw roofs. Many people were dressed in what looked very much like eastern clothing, a few in particular garbed in red robes with beads around their necks.

"Well, I can safely say the Greeks and Romans are going to be disappointed." Kadoc noted. "Looks more like a traditional Japanese village than one from their cultures."

Pyrrha giggled. "Perhaps, but I imagine Romulus will still think of it as Rome. He seems to think of almost everyplace as Rome, even though this isn't your homeworld."

"Well, as they say, all roads leads to Rome." Mash smiled at the Mistral Champion. "It's getting dark, though. Perhaps we should rest for the night and inquire about your friends in the morning?"

"That sounds reasonable. Actually, I think there should be an inn somewhere around here. I stayed there while I was waiting for the blacksmith to finish forging Milo and Akuo."

"That's good news, but do you think it's a good idea to be out in the open like this?" Kadoc wondered. "I mean, you did say you were well known in Mistral, and died back in Vale. I don't think it's a good idea for any of the villagers to see someone what was previously thought dead alive and cause a panic."

Pyrrha opened her mouth to answer that, but fell silent. She cast a small look at the villagers, some of whom paused and stared. "...good point."

Her form vanished into a bluish haze shortly after, much to the onlooker's confusion. Kadoc sighed. "Why do I get the feeling we'll be hearing about the ghost of the famed Pyrrha Nikos in this village in the near future?"

"In hindsight, we probably should've just given her a cloak to wear." Ozma pointed out. "Either that or just have her tail us in Astral form."

"Well, nothing we can do about it now." Ritsuka sighed. "Let's go ask around."

It didn't take long for them to find the inn. Ritsuka and Kadoc were given separate rooms, each with two beds. Asclepius did not require a bed at all as he was more preoccupied with setting up a Boundary Field, not wanting to take any chances. Pyrrha wanted to be on the safe side and remain in Astral Form. Naturally, this left only four people to take the beds. To Kadoc's amusement, Ritsuka had been paired with Mash. He wished he had a camera so he could have taken a picture of the two when they found out as they were both red-faced. Perhaps now one of them could finally fucking confess.

Seriously, how was it that, in between all of the crap these two had gone through between singularities and lostbelts, neither of them had confessed or just kissed?!

"...wow. Now I know how Gudako feels." Kadoc realized where his line of thought was going before he shook his head. He looked at Ozma, the man wearing a simple green tunic instead of his armor. "Say, Ozma. I've been to asking something. You aren't from the same time period as Pyrrha, right?"

The dark-skinned wandered nodded. "That's correct. Aside from the planet being called Vytal once long ago, my age was comparable to the Age of Gods, as humanity was under the watchful eye of the Brother Gods. However, they've long since abandoned this world. Why do you ask?"

"Its just... I've been thinking about how you and Pyrrha were summoned." the man told him. "In our world, Servants are Heroic Spirits who managed to leave their mark on the world in some shape or another. Hell, the major reason why they joined the Throne of Heroes is because of how people remembered."

Ozma nodded. "I am aware. I was curious as to whether or not Edison was born with a lion's head and asked him about it one day. I admit, I was quite disappointed when he told he wasn't."

"Right. People's memory has an effect on the Heroic Spirit." Kadoc nodded. "So...what about you and Pyrrha?" Ozma tilted his head in confusion. "I mean, you could argue the case with Pyrrha. She died and people do remember her for her efforts, even if her death was recent, but what about you? From what I've heard, no one in your time remains and your legend faded when the gods left, right?"

At this, the wandered chuckled. "That is correct also. For all intents and purposes, as I am now, I am all that remains of the civilizations and lifetimes of the people of Vytal. And to answer your question, while my stories faded as there was no one left to speak of them or to tell them to future generations, that wasn't to say my legend has survived in some form."

"How do you mean?"

At this, Ozma smiled mysteriously. "Tell me, Master. What is your favorite fairy tale?"

The white haired master looked at him strangely. "...I beg your pardon?"

"Fairy tales. Stories from your childhood. Surely you must recall some of them."

"...Are you referring to the fairy tale's in my world or of this world? If it's the latter, then I'm afraid I don't have a clue. But as for the ones from Earth...I can't really say. I forgot about such things a long time ago."

"I see. Understandable. Well, let me enlighten you about of some of them. One example is the girl in the tower. Another is the Twin Brothers." His smile became nostalgic and forlorn. "...But I must say that one of my favorites is a story of the four seasons."

Kadoc raised an eyebrow. "Care to elaborate?"

"The story tells the tale of an old man, sequestered and living away from the world, and is visited by four women who offer him different forms of kindness. One came in the winter, telling him to reflect and meditate. The second came in the spring, bringing him fruits and revitalizing his garden. The third arrived in the summer, convincing him to step outside and reconnect with the world and to embrace it. The last to offer him kindness came during the fall, urging him to be thankful for what he had. In exchange for the kindness these women showed him, the old man bestowed unto them the gift of magic."

"And this has to do with you how...?" Ozma stared. It took Kadoc only a moment before he caught on and stared at the wanderer in awe. "You were the old man?"

"Once upon a time." Ozma admitted. "My circumstances are...odd. What you see before is myself back during the days when the Brothers graced this world. I still exist, but now I reincarnate and join with people who share in my ideals and thoughts. Some of the fairy tales that circulate Remnant now are connected to my past. As a matter of fact, the fairy tale about the girl in the tower was the story of how I met the love of my life."

"And the Twin Brothers is the story of the Brother Gods." Kadoc breathed. "That's how your legend propagated all this time?"

"In a manner of speaking. The fairy tales alone, however, wouldn't earn me a place on the Throne of Heroes. However, if I were to make an educated guess, my self that exists currently, Ozpin, is a major reason as to why I was capable of being summoned. He and I are one of the same, and he does not share his secrets and pasts easily. What few people he did disclose his past to are the reasons why the fairy tales exist."

"I see..." Kadoc rubbed his chin. "It's not a perfect explanation, but it would make sense." He looked back at Ozma curiously. "You mentioned you're still technically still alive?"

"Let me put it to you this way, Master. Before you stands Ozma the Wanderer. The Servant of the Age of Vytal. Were my current self to be summoned, he would be Ozpin. The Servant of the Age of Remnant. In a way, my existence would be similar to Alexander or young Artoria."

"Which one?" Kadoc smirked.

Ozma rolled his eyes. "You know full well who I mean. On the subject of that, how in blazes can you tell them apart?! I damn near found myself without a head when I confused the Artoria dressed in black with the one dressed in blue! The Sabers, not the Lancers, mind you!"

The only response he received, much to his annoyance, was Kadoc's laughter.

* * *

"It is done." Asclepius nodded as he finished setting up the Bounded Field.

"Thank you for your help." Ritsuka said gratefully.

"Simply doing my duties, Master. Still, I must confess that this is hardly the best course of action. While I understand the sentimentality of wishing to reconnect with old friends and allies, please do not forget that this is not our world. There are far too many unknown variables to consider."

"I know, I know. Da Vinci and Holmes already pounded that into my head before we left." the dark-haired Master replied coolly. "At the very least, we'll keep our involvement in this world down to a minimum."

"With all due respect, senpai..." Mash said slowly. "I think it's a bit early saying that."

"Why's that?"

"No offense, but have you seen Chaldea's track record?"

Ritsuka and Asclepius both stared at her for a moment before they both sighed in unison. "It says a lot when I can find no way to refute that." the Caster said sadly. "I will revert to Astral Form in the meantime and monitor the Bounded Field." He paused before a brief moment, then gave a mischievous look at Ritsuka and Mash. "Please do not do anything perverse. I am still technically in the room, after all."

"ASCLEPIUS!" the two roared, faces bright crimson. Ritsuka attempted to smack the Servant, but the laughing Caster had already vanished into a blue haze.

"Geez! I thought he was the serious one!"

Seriously, what was with everyone in Chaldea teasing them?!

* * *

Nightfall had descended. The shattered moon hanged in the air as Shirohana descended into blissful slumber. The Grimm had quieted on account of the actions of a group of Huntsmen who traveled to the village to repair their weapons and seek out information, thus the townsfolk could rest without worry. The only ones that had not gone to sleep were the Servants who stayed awake and the villagers who were currently in the middle of late-night work.

One such villager was working in the fields, tearing away at the earth and filling the newly-made holes with water and seeds. However, as he worked he felt a dreadful chill ran across his back. He glanced around the fields, but found no one who could have elicited such a reaction. He shrugged it off, thinking it was his mind playing tricks on him and went back to work.

"Why, hello there~"

The feeling returned in full force as a man suddenly appeared in front of his face, face distorted on account of the wide grin on his face and eyes full of wicked mania.

And behind him was the flickering tail of poison and death.

* * *

The moment the drop of bloodlust hit the air, metaphorically speaking, the Masters of Chaldea that had been sleeping soundly in their beds were suddenly thrown awake, eyes wide and hands clenched. Their Servants and Mash were already armed and ready, having also sensed such blatant hostility in the air.

Ritsuka exited the guest room and stepped out into the hallway. Pyrrha and Ozma were already visible, expressions tense and anxious while Kadoc's was one of grim.

"You felt it too?"

Ritsuka scoffed. "With how often we find ourselves in situations like these, I would be surprised if I didn't." He turned to the Caster. "Asclepius, has anyone entered the Bounded Field?"

"Only one." the doctor replied grimly. "They were not Grimm and fully human, and they are alone. I thought they meant no harm. Clearly, I was wrong. They are near the village outskirts."

"Then let's go!"

* * *

There were few things Tyrian Callows enjoyed. In fact, he could think of only to things that could make his skin tingle with delight or bring him total euphoria. One was serving his goddess, an avatar of beauty and power.

The other...was **pain**.

While most would find pain a bad thing, he thought the opposite. Pain was a wonderful indicator. The screams of nerves, the aching of the body. Pain told you something crucial.

That you were alive.

Pain was the body's innate warning system that something was wrong. That you were injured or bleeding. Pain let you sit on the threshold of the heightened awareness that you were still alive.

As for inflicting pain...well, he savored the experience of terror and despair on his target's faces. Just like now.

His goddess ordered him to find Ruby Rose, that daughter of Summer Rose who foolishly challenged his goddess and died for her arrogance. And so he hunted her, trekking through Mistral and carving up anything and anyone who had even the slightest bit of information about her. Eventually, he came across this quiet little village and its townsfolk and immediately set off to work.

The farmer had remarkably little to say to him, barely of any help at all. Tyrian shuddered in delight as he watched the life fade from the man's eyes before moving on to the next man. Sadly, the next couple of people had very little to offer him. All they told him was that the group had fought on their behalf and left, but did not know where. Oh, how he danced in joy when their blood splattered across the pavement.

And finally, he came across his golden goose. This blacksmith and fellow animal man, oh so wonderfully terrified and fearing for his life. The trembling hand held a shoddy sword that looked as if it had never so much as tasted another man's flesh or a Grimm. It shattered like glass the second he swung at it.

"Now now, no need to be scared..." Tyrian cooed as his stinger inched closer to the blacksmith, inches away from his cheek. "I'll make it nice and painless if you just tell me what I want to know."

"I-I'll never tell you anything...!" He growled despite the pain.

Tyrian giggled. Oh how he loved to break the defiant ones.

He had to admit, that Ruby Rose girl must have been special. To earn someone's loyalty within the span of a few days, all because of a sincere act. But it was such a shame that it would lead to the man's death. His screams would be his offering to Salem, the goddess who uplifted him.

And how he would make this blathering fat sack of meat _sing_.

His stinger pulled back and twitched, poised to deliver an agonizing existence to this man...

" _ **Sorry**_."

...and promptly found himself being smashed straight through the workshop and back out into the streets.

* * *

Pyrrha stared at the gaping hole in the wall for a moment, then back at her shield. "...I wasn't even putting that much strength into it." she muttered in awe. "And I don't recall ever moving that fast."

"Y-you...?"

The red head turned. The blacksmith, the man who forged Milo and Akuo for her, stared at her in slack-jawed shock. She smiled weakly. "Sorry about the hole. I promise I'll fix it in a moment. Now, if you excuse me...!"

She leaped out into the open and let Milo change. The blade grew longer and its shaft expanded in her hand. She had not noticed it until now, but her weapon had become incredibly light compared to her days at Beacon. It was not heavy by any means, but it had a weight then. Now, it felt like she was holding air.

Her weapons were the least of concerns, however, and instead focused her gaze on the man responsible for the trail of bodies the Chaldean masters discovered. A Faunus man garbed in white clothes and a leather jacket, the long and deadly tail of a scorpion swishing behind him while a pair of double-bladed gauntlets sat atop his wrists. She shuddered when she saw the look in his eyes; the look of pure unadulterated madness. Bloodlust reeked from his very form like a dam.

And if the state of the bodies were of any indication, he took great pleasure in killing them.

"Owowowowowowow..." the Faunus hissed as he rubbed his jaw. "That hurt..." He leveled a glare at the woman. "It's awfully rude to go smashing people through a wall, you know? Haven't your parents taught you any manners?"

Pyrrha growled. "And haven't yours taught you to not kill people?"

"Save your breath, Nikos." Ozma told her, eyes narrowed. "I recognize the look in his eyes, and the way he carved those bodies. I've met many a man like him before. Sick and depraved who consider their acts of murder to be artwork."

"Of course it's art!" Tyrian snapped. "The way the blood splatters the surroundings! The coldness of the eyes. The way the viscera paints and streets! What could be better tribute to my Goddess?!"

Pyrrha frowned. "Goddess...?" Her mind flashed to the golden-eyed woman who killed her and brought chaos to Vale. Immediately, the grip on her lance and shield tightened. "Were you one of the people who attacked Beacon?" Upon seeing Tyrian's smile widen almost viciously, her anger skyrocketed. "Are you working for Cinder?!"

"Pft! Only in her wildest dreams!" Like a spring, he coiled up and shot forward, blades raised to kill.

Ozma intercepted, stepping between Pyrrha and Tyrian and blocking his strike with his gauntlet, the two locking eyes before he effortlessly pushed Tyrian back. "Nikos, would you mind if I fought him?" he asked the Mistral Champion. "I realize this situation is hardly ideal, but I wish to test just how...out of practice I am."

Pyrrha couldn't help but shudder the way he said those words, nor the way his eyes seemed to harden.

"Alright."

The Lancer leaped backward to let the Caster take the lead.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Tyrian yelled as he backpedaled from Ozma and jumped over him. But as he landed, he failed to notice the rope of energy that ensared his legs.

With a pull, Tyrian was pulled away and thrown back into the ground. This time further away from Pyrrha. The Faunus growled and got up to his feet, only to stop and stare at Ozma in wide-eyed fascination when he saw the man holding a scepter, emerald-green energy flowing from it and dancing around him. The dark-skinned man held out a hand and the magic danced into his palm, forming into a shape reminiscent of a sword.

"Magic...?" he questioned before narrowing his eyes. "And just who might you be, hm?"

Ozma smirked. "Why don't you ask your beloved goddess?"

Before Tyrian could form a proper response, Ozma charged. To Tyrian, a former mercenary and well-trained, it was as if Ozma vanished and reappeared right before his eyes. He barely had enough time to raise his weapons in defense, barely defending himself from the energy blade that came crashing down upon him. His face slammed into the stone ground. He tasted the dirt, rock, and blood in his mouth as it scrapped against his face. The blade then transformed into a massive limb of energy that kept a tight grip on Tyrian.

It then proceeded to drag him across the ground face first. His screams of pain were muffled by the dirt as he felt the skin being flayed from his head. It then lifted him into the air before tossing him around like a ragdoll. At the height of the throw, a fist came crashing down upon him and sent him back down to the earth. The ground shattered upon impact as Tyrian bounced off. Using his stinger, he quickly rooted himself back to the earth and stopped his retreat. His aura quickly began to heal the damage before leveling a manic stare at Ozma, the man having remained rooted where he stood while the phantasmal fist around him receded back into his scepter.

This man was dangerous. Tyrian had so many questions, but for now all he could do was attempt to find a way to deal with this bastard. He just needed a good shot with his stinger.

Even if he did have aura and magic, neither could do much against poison. Especially one as potent as his.

Once more, he leaped into action. Ozma twirled his scepter before aiming its head at his opponent, shooting forth several bolts of lightning straight at him. Tyrian's reflexes allowed him to dodge them while using his stinger to impale the ground and perform impromptu movements, sliding to the side to avoid a bolt or two or to pull himself back to the earth if one came close to striking him mid-air. Slowly he grew closer, his grin increasing in size as he felt adrenaline begin to pump through his system.

He kicked off the earth, avoiding a bolt primed to hit him dead in the chest. He had a clear opening now. He swung his tail directly for the man's neck, poised to let the stinger inject its kiss of death into his neck and major artery.

Tyrian cackled. "Die!"

Ozma smirked. "No thank you."

He flicked his finger upwards. The tail was intercepted by a glyph that formed directly in front of him. Tyrian's eyes widened before scowling in anger, his chance for a truly wonderful offering for his goddess denied and lashed out at the barrier standing between him and his target. He swung his blades again and again, sparks flying each time. Yet no matter how hard he striked at the barrier, it remained firm.

Ozma decided he had humiliated Tyrian enough with this stunt and threw his palm forward, pushing it against the glyph. Tyrian was sent flying when a massive burst of power erupted from the glyph, knocking him off his feet and far away towards the treeline. Groaning, the Faunus assassin crawled up to his feet and readied himself for another charge, only to find his mouth kissing the earth.

"W-what?!"

Thorns. Jagged, golden thorns hanged in the air, formed from gathering lights flowing from the palm of his target's hand. Dozens formed above his head, the tips sharper than any needle or blade. Ozma stared at him for a moment, then brought his hand down. The thorns shot forward and aimed to reduce the Faunus to little more than a mere pincushion. Tyrian found himself forced to scramble for cover, using everything he had learned in his life to avoid the thorns. He leaped into the forest, stinger latching on to anything that could pull him to safety.

To Pyrrha, who had watched the battle ensue and instead stand watch in the event Tyrian had unexpected company, this could not be called a battle.

Instead, it was a one-sided beatdown, far greater than any match she participated in.

"Amazing..."

So this was the power from someone of the Age of Vytal. She heard of the feats of magic from Ozma back in Chaldea. She learned of the existence of magic of the Maidens, she had witnessed it in action herself during her final fight. But this?

Comparing the magic of a Maiden to that of Ozma's was like comparing a small candlelight to a forest fire. For she knew...she knew that he wasn't even trying right now. Despite his prowess, he still held back.

Ozma flicked his hands again and the thorns changed trajectory to chase after the fleeing Faunus. Tyrian scowled as he pushed himself harder from avoiding the attack. Two flanked him at either side. His tail wrapped around the thick branch hanging above his head, latching onto it quickly and swinging himself up to avoid them. A mistake he could not have calculated in time as a thorn smashed straight into his backside, shattering into pieces and sending him flying through the air. In his descent, he smashed through at least two trees and sent them falling to the ground before he returned to ground level, bouncing like a ragdoll before coming to a stop.

His vision blurred before he shook his head to clear it. He managed to do so just in time to see a massive spike fall down upon him. He quickly rolled away before it struck. At the point of impact, he was blown away.

He fell on his backside. Groaning, Tyrian slowly climbed his way back up to his feet. He swayed unsteadily, trying to clear his head before he saw Ozma looking at him. "Done already?" the Ruler questioned with a faint smirk. "I thought you were of sterner stuff than this. Back in the day, I fight men who could tank much worse punishment than this. Even Salem wouldn't bat an eye at this level."

"Be quiet...!" Tyrian snarled. "Don't you dare...use the goddess' name!"

"Then make me." Ozma challenged.

That was the final straw. " **GRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH**!"

In sheer, blind fury, he rushed toward the man with complete disregard for his surroundings. He focused on this man...this blasphemer who dare insult his Goddess!

He had no idea he had just made his most grievous error. Not until he saw the victorious look on Ozma's face when he slammed his scepter into the ground.

There was no warning. No indication. No sign of the attack. One second, Tyrian charged at Ozma. The next second, he was hoisted up in the air, his limbs and tail skewed by spikes forged from the earth itself. None of them pierced his vitals, but they definitely immobilized him. He couldn't even flex this tail.

"W...wha-"

Then a gigantic fist came smashing down upon him.

And everything went black.

* * *

Ritsuka sweatdropped as he stared at the crater. The fist-shaped crater that had a twitching, still-breathing scorpion-man psycho inside it.

"...where do I even start with this?" he couldn't help but ask.

Kadoc cleared his throat. "I think you might wanna ask yourself, what do we do about this?"

He followed Kadoc's finger. The fight had garnered attention and stirred the villagers awake. They had saw the ensuing conflict and had just stared in utter awe by the sheer raw power Ozma had demonstrated. No doubt they had many questions, ones that Ritsuka wasn't looking forward to answering. However, the biggest problem was that they had their Scrolls out and were recording the whole damned thing.

Including Pyrrha, who just stood there, still dazzled by the sheer one-sided beatdown, looking like a deer in headlights.

There was really only one thing to say to that.

"...shit."

* * *

Jaune kept his head in the river stream for a minute or so, letting the ice-cold water swathe over his skin before he pulled his head out and shook his head, flinging the drops of water over his head off before grabbing the towel next to him, smothering it in his face and rubbing it over his hair.

It had been a few days since Team RNJR had left Shirohana, and only a few days since he had gotten his upgrades. The breastplate felt a little tight, but all it took was adjusting the straps. It was getting used to Crocea Mars' new weight that was throwing him off. He had taken the time whenever he could to adjust to its new functions. Back at Beacon, he realized that aside from a collapsible sheath, he needed another trick to add to his arsenal. It may have meant more of a workload for him to learn, but he knew he desperately needed to improve his skills and combat prowess.

Which was why he requested the blacksmith to make Crocea Mors have a great sword mode for heavier swings.

As he expected, the sword felt heavier in his hands than it did back during his time in Beacon. It wasn't just because Crocea Mars was reforged into a better blade alongside his shield, since the extra weight came from the materials. Namely, what was left of Pyrrha's equipment.

His face scrunched in dismay, his hand immediately going for the red sash stuffed away in his pocket.

When he found what remained of her, little more than ashes and her broken weapons not far away, he wailed and cried like an infant. When that emotional hell came to an end, he sought to bury her remains himself, though it wasn't in the way he would have liked. The grave was unmarked and was never given proper burial rights.

She deserved so much better.

Better than him, at least.

Jaune sighed as he ran a hand through his blonde locks. He couldn't afford to get emotionally fragile again, not now. When Ruby told him about how she was going to Anima, realizing that Cinder Fall was still out there, she needed to get stronger. More than that, she wanted to warn Haven Academy about the dangers. If something like Beacon Academy happened all over again, nevermind the horrible fact that the attack happened on live television for all the world to see, Brothers only knew what happened.

With that in mind, what remained of Team JNR followed her. The trip had not been easy, what with Grimm encounters and Ruby stopping every so often to help whatever townsfolk in need of help. She was a bleeding heart that way and he was always more than happy to help her, but sometimes Ruby's actions got them into trouble.

Relatively early in their journey, they stumbled across some people in need of help. Said they had been attacked by Grimm and were forced to leave their cargo behind. They accepted the request and helped the strangers search for their missing cargo. In truth, there was no Grimm attack or cargo. The strangers were bandits, who gleefully informed them that they had used this tactic on other less fortunate individuals multiple times and planned on taking everything they owned, weapons included.

While the results were to be expected, them beating the bandits black-and-blue all over and handing them over to the proper authorities, it also helped remind them that Grimm were not the only people they would have to face. There were other humans as well, people who were just as bad and much worse than the likes of Roman Torchwick. And with the Kingdoms separated, that had most likely gotten worse.

But, that had been before. Now, things were looking up for them. Jaune smiled when he remembered the exuberant look on Ruby's face when she told them she had gotten in contact with her old team again. While she was ultimately disheartened to discover that they were going through their own problems, it was still a relief to learn that some unknown group had repaired the CCT tower. In his opinion, it was better than ever since he could connect to the web more easily now, but that was beside the point.

With connections restored, getting to Haven and warning the Headmaster should have been much easier. The reality was anything but, sadly. Ruby had told Leonardo Lionheart, the Headmaster of Haven Academy, that they were on their way to Haven after informing him of the events that transpired in Beacon Academy. They were dead set on defending the Academy if trouble arose, especially after the man morosely told them he had been forced to send the students away out of fear for their safety and the Council reserving the Huntsmen for their own uses. The Headmaster also couldn't send them any Bullheads either, as all air traffic was being monitored and focused on aid and transportation of Huntsman on call from the Council.

It wasn't ideal, but Team RNJR's only option was to go on foot. Again, not ideal, but they would make do with what they had. He could only hope that things didn't spiral out of control or were presented with an unexpected complication.

After he finished drying his head, Jaune stood up and collected his belongings. He entered a small clearing where his friends waited for him. Nora was busy talking animatedly with Ruby about something, probably a new combo move or something, while Ren was sitting off to the side under a tree with his legs crossed and hands clasped together.

"Finished washing yourself up?" the jade-colored ninja of Team JNPR asked upon noticing his leader's return.

"Yeah. The river's nice and cold, too." Jaune told him as he sat down. "Ugh, I'm so not looking forward to the trek tomorrow. The next village is, what, six hours away by foot?"

Ren smiled weakly. "Afraid so. Any settlements we come across will have most likely been abandoned or ravaged by Grimm and bandits. Speaking of, it's my turn to be lookout tonight."

"Sure you can handle it?"

"I'm fairly certain. Besides, you could use the rest. You spent all day getting used to your sword's new weight."

"Yeah, I guess. Thanks Ren." He nodded as he trudged off toward his sleeping bag. They had a long day ahead of them, so it was best to get some sleep while they still could.

Now that he thought about it, though, it had been a while since they encountered Grimm along the way. Not that he was complaining, as it made their journey easier. It just struck him as odd. In the wilds like this, they should've seen a lot more Grimm. Maybe the Grimm were purposely avoiding them?

...nah, couldn't be. He wished that was the case, though. It would have shown just how far he had come since his days at Beacon! If only Pyrrha could-

"Pyrrha..."

Jaune looked down at the ground in dismay. He was doing it again, thinking about her when he should be focusing on what was important. Yet, every so often, his mind continued to drift back to his partner. If only he had been stronger back then. If he was, he would've been able to help her fight. If only he realized sooner. If only he tried to understand her better.

If he had, then maybe he wouldn't have learned her feelings for him right before her death.

Seriously, how dense could he have been not to notice? Was he just that thick-headed?

Again, Jaune sighed and shook his head. "Wow, that was a pretty big sigh, fearless leader." Nora commented as she looked over at him. "What's got you so down in the dumps? No, wait! Your constipated."

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "...why would I be constipated?"

"Cause you have that really deep thinking look and it doesn't suit you. That look suits Renny!" A pause. "No offense."

"Snrk."

Jaune casted a glare at Ruby, who turned her head away to the side and a hand covering her mouth, shoulders trembling. "Traitor."

"Sorry!"

"But seriously. What's the matter?" Nora pressed.

Jaune sighed. "It's nothing, really. Just...something I need to deal with on my own." At Nora's accusatory look, he quickly raised his hands in defense. "Nothing like when Cardin was bullying me, I promise you."

"Better not be!" Nora huffed.

The blonde smiled wryly as he scratched the back of his head. Ever since the incident with Cardin and him telling them the truth behind his transcripts, his team had been adamant that he should never have to deal with problems by himself. If he did, they would intervene regardless. It was nice, really. And it really told him how much of an idiot he had been for ignoring such awesome people.

The only downside was that he had come to fear Nora whenever she had a hammer. He still swore his head was aching from the time she smacked him with Magnhild.

"Anyway, what are you guys talking about?"

Ruby held up her Scroll. "Just looking at some of the news. A lot's happened since the CCT was fixed, so we're catching up."

"What kind of news are we talking about?"

"For starters, things in Atlas are bad." Ruby's face soured. "Really bad. Even though communications are back up and running, the Council doesn't want Atlas or even Mantle to have anything to do with the other Kingdoms. 'We have to focus on our own people,' they keep saying. General Ironwood's the only person that's fighting their decision. He's sponsoring someone running for a seat on the Council for the Ministry of Welfare. Someone named Robyn Hill."

"Weiss' dad's also running for politician status." Nora chimed in. "And he's the favorite to win since he's got the most votes right now."

Jaune winced. "...and judging by what you've been hearing, is he has bad as Weiss made him out to be?"

This time, it was Ruby's turn to wince. "Let's just say Weiss has been calling me a lot to vent. I don't think I've ever heard her swear, not even while we were at Beacon, until this started."

Wow, that bad? While Jaune knew little about Jacques Schnee, aside from his status as the head honcho of the world's leading energy producer, whatever Weiss had to say about him was anything less than pleasant. The fact that she was actually cursing spoke volumes. He wisely decided to change the course of the topic and asked something else. "How about things back in Vale?"

"Beacon's still in the middle of recovering, but for the most part the Kingdom's starting to get back on its feet. Professor Goodwitch is leading the restoration efforts and is acting as Headmistress until the Council can find an appropriate successor for her." She held up her Scroll and showed Jaune an image of the ongoing efforts to restore the city. To his delight, he saw the citizens and former students of Beacon Academy working to clear out the rubble. He even saw Professor Port wearing a hard hat and flailing his arms about, no doubt giving orders. "Though the VNN kinda makes it sound like Goodwitch and the Council are having disagreements about whether or not they should offer aid to refugees from the Kingdoms."

"Refugees?" Jaune frowned. "But the CCT is-"

Nora stared. "Jauney, just because everyone can talk to each other over long distances from hundreds of miles away doesn't automatically mean everything is gonna be a-okay now." she pointed out. "Everyone was in the dark for months. And, well, you saw some of the villages on our way here."

The swordsman winced. She had a point. While there were villages that we doing well despite the shutdown of the CCT, like Shirohana, others didn't do so well. Mainly due to the fact they were destroyed by Grimm or bandit attacks. When communications were down, the villages were unable to send out a message for Huntsmen about the danger, and were left to their fates. In the months they had been on Anima, Jaune had seen more destroyed villages than he would have ever liked to. Some still had inhabitants, recovering from the attacks and trying to restore their way of life. They were downtrodden and wounded, and they could offer little to no aid for them whatsoever. And those were the luckier ones. Some of the people they met along the way, they were just so lifeless. Like they had given up.

"...could things really have gotten that bad in a matter of months?" he found himself asking and dreading the answer.

Ruby looked down sadly. "It looks like." An uncomfortable silence hanged in the air before Ruby shook her head. "A-anyway, I got in touch with Coco! Team CFVY seems like they're doing pretty well for themselves in Vacuo. The Kingdom hasn't been in much trouble. If anything, they're just dealing with bandit attacks and bigger packs of Grimm than usual."

"I see. Well, at least our upperclassmen have it easy." Jaune smiled weakly. "And, what about here in Mistral?"

"Lemme check real quick. Let's see here..." Ruby perused through her Scroll. "Branwen Tribe strikes again, leaves village destitute... Wait, Branwen? Like, Qrow Branwen?" Ruby knitted her eyebrows before she shook her head. "Nah, no way. Skip, skip... Headmaster Leonardo Lionheart under fire by the Council, Haven Academy shut down for the unforseeable future. The Invincible Girl, Pyrrha Nikos, back from the dead. Dust prices are-wait what?!"

Jaune choked. "W-what did you just say Ruby?"

The silver-eyed girl fumbled with her Scroll, eyes wide with disbelief as she quickly scrolled back to the previous page. On the page was a video clip, showcasing what looked like a one-sided slaughter between a man with one hell of a Semblance against a Faunus nutjob with a scorpion tail. And as amazing as the fight was, that wasn't what shocked Team RNJR the most.

It was the fact that a girl, dead for six months, was standing there in similar awe as those spectating.

Jaune's hands trembled, heart stuck in his throat. Nora looked as if she was about to hyperventilate. "Guys?" Ren called out as he soon noticed their distress. "What's wrong?"

No one said anything at first. The three just stared at the video before Jaune spoke up, voice tight.

"...pack your things. We're doubling back to Shirohana."

* * *

Glynda sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose, reclining in the seat that was once occupied by her boss and colleague. In front of her were several documents, all filled to the brim with words that she couldn't stand to look at. Her head was throbbing from having done most of the bulwark, repairing structures and leaving them in place while leaving the architects to fill in the gaps and glue the pieces back into place. It wasn't a permanent solution, but rather a temporary one. They would have to build over the ruined remains and go from there.

She wished her Semblance could return things back to their original state before they were shattered to pieces, but all she could do was just put the pieces together. Not fix them. That work was left to those who could repair what was broken.

As for the documents that she wanted oh so desperately to burn, those were the papers the Vale Council had given her. "Proper channels," they told her. "To bolster Beacon's defenses and requisition aid from freelancer Huntsmen of her choosing." Glynda understood it was due process and all that, but what the hell did they even mean by "requisition?" Were they implying that Huntsmen were just items they could borrow anytime they wanted?!

"No wonder Ozpin was so fed up with them." Glynda rubbed her temples. "And to think, Atlas is apparently far worse." At times like these she greatly sympathized with James Ironwood for what he must be going through with Atlas's brickheaded council members.

Come to think of it, the elections were fast approaching, weren't they? By now, the Council must have already picked sides and representatives or sponsors.

"I remember Ironwood mentioning something Jacques participating." Glynda's face soured. "That can be nothing good."

She casted another baneful glare at the documents sitting at her desk before she let out a deep sigh. As idiotic as the Council was and as tedious as this was, it needed to be done. Beacon needed funding, resources and supplies if it was to regain order. More than that, Vale needed Beacon back up and running to help protect itself. It would take quite some time before the students were able to properly organize and even longer before she could request the proper services, but Glynda was prepared.

Ozpin had taught her what she knew, after all. As her memories came across her colleague and dear friend, her face scrunched into dismay. Qrow had yet to encounter his reincarnation. She had no idea if that was a good thing or a bad thing. If Ozpin had found a reincarnation, who could it have been? Was it a capable Huntsman? Some scholar sequestered in the far reaches of the Kingdom? Or perhaps some poor regular soul who didn't know what was happening. She just hoped it was someone who was willing to take on this burden.

As the Headmistress prepared to return to the dreadful paperwork on her desk, her Scroll began to beep. "A call? This late?" She checked the ID and frowned. It was an unknown number. Curious, she answered the call.

She blinked.

"Um, excuse me. A-are you Headmistress Glynda Goodwitch?" On her Scroll was a boy who couldn't have been a year or two younger than Ruby Rose herself, a round face covered in freckles and a wrinkled shirt with specs of dirt.

"This is she." she answered suspiciously. "How did you get this number?"

"That's kind of a long story. I-I'm supposed to be asking you a question." Glynda raised an eyebrow when his face morphed into annoyance and turned away, perhaps speaking to someone off screen. "Shut up, I'm getting there!"

"Young man, if this is some kind of practical joke..."

"N-no no no, it's nothing like that!" he assured her. "A-anyway, I'm supposed to ask you...i-if you still have my cane?"

Glynda stared. Her grip threatened to break her Scroll in half. The vein above her twitching eyebrow throbbed angrily. The poor boy flinched in response.

"...you have _got_ to be kidding me."

'Ozpin' whimpered. "Please don't kill me."

* * *

 _Aaaaand we're back. And with this, Volume 4 has begun to derail._

 _To the guy who was bitching about how, after five or six chapters Chaldea still hasn't gotten more involved with the plot, need I remind you that things take time? Like build-up and such?_

 _In other news, though, Chaldea is finally getting more involved on account of Ritsuka being a goody-two-shoes as usual. And Jaune learns Pyrrha's back! I can't tell if that is a can of worms that will just be one goddamn mess or be working the water works. In either case, things are looking up for Remnant!_

 _...or at least, that's what I'd like to say. Someone brought up a good point to me in a PM. Pretty much over half of the Servants in Chaldea could kill Salem, immortality or no. Hell, they could probably one-shot her. If Chaldea were to get involved, the whole plot would be over in a snap. So that brings the question, how do you make a good plot go forward if Salem is just gonna be easy prey?_

 _That question will have to remain unanswered for now. In the meantime, enjoy the chapter._

 _One last thing. I have closed the poll. Ritsuka Fujimaru, you are a lucky bastard who has a harem! ...buuuuuuuuut that won't be for a very long time. I can't have romance take over the plot or have cat fights happen left and right! The story comes first! Your romance and inevitable death by snu-snu will have to wait!_

 _Fresh reminder that this story has a TV Tropes page! Please check it out and add to it if you'd be so kind. The Character section in particular looks like it could use some touching up!_


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